To The Past
by insignificantramblings
Summary: A love story stretched over 20 years leaves one man to watch the woman he loves live without knowledge of him, and the woman to reawaken in a world where the man is gone forever. Sirius/Hermione; a time travel story.
1. Prologue: The Beginning

He stood, feet planted firmly on the dusty floor, his body shaking slightly from the effort. He hadn't been human since he had escaped, and the upright position was taking its toll on his worn-out body. He looked to his left, where the red-haired boy lay on the bed, clutching his rat.

_The rat. _Peter Pettigrew. Rat in both form and personality.

He heard muffled sounds, and he knew that it must be the friends of the boy next to him, the one who had gotten in the way of his capture. One of them was Harry, the son of his best friend. The other was a girl, that much he knew, but he hadn't bothered to really look at either of them; he had been too intent on his mission.

He was eager to see Harry. He let a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he thought of his best friend, the one that he loved, the one who's death he felt responsible for. If only they hadn't switched secret keepers…

Which brought him full circle to the rat. He wanted to wait for Harry, he wanted to explain it to him, and he knew if he didn't wait, he would never believe him. If he killed Peter Pettigrew, the truth would be gone, and Harry would never understand, would never be the Godson he had been wishing to meet for nearly thirteen years.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and he looked up from his thoughts. It was Harry standing in the doorway, his other friend just behind him, looking for their friend. It was something that James would have done for him – run to his rescue.

"Ron – are you okay?"

The red-headed boy's name was Ron. Harry and their other friend; the back of her head was the only visible part of her, rushed to his side. "Where's the dog?" Harry questioned, and Ron looked around.

"He's the dog… he's an Animagus…"

The escaped prisoner of Azkaban stepped out of the shadows, his hair hanging lank, his skin white, his eyes sunken and his teeth yellow. "Expelliarmus!" he said, his voice hoarse from lack of speaking. Harry and the witch's wands shot out of their hands. He focused his gaze on Harry, who had pushed his friend behind him, shielding her from view.

"I thought you'd come and help your friend," the hoarse voice spoke again. "Your father would have done the same for me. Brave of you, not to run for a teacher. I'm grateful…it will make everything much easier…" He could tell that Harry was angry; he believed the comment had been to snub the memory of James, but the intention had been quite the opposite. Harry moved forward, but two small hands on either of his shoulders held him back. "No, Harry!" a female voice said, and her concerned face moved into view, and her gaze locked with the decrepit man in front of her.

It had been 15 years since Sirius Black had looked into Hermione Granger's eyes.

She was younger, not the seventeen year old witch that he had fallen in love with at Hogwarts during their seventh year. He knew that she was from the future; she could never give him more details than that. He never knew that she was friends with James and Lily's son, that her best friend had possession of Wormtail, that she would be Remus' student…

"If you want to kill Harry, you'll have to kill us too!" the red-head – Ron – said with ferocity, trying to stand up on his injured leg. Something inside of Sirius had cracked. Seeing her after so long, the woman who he had forced himself to let go, the one who had kept him sane in Azkaban…she was standing in front of him. And she had no idea who he was, other than a convicted murderer.

"Lie down," Sirius said to Ron, trying to keep his voice in check. "You will damage that leg even more."

"Did you hear me?" Ron asked, holding onto Harry. "You'll have to kill all three of us!"

Sirius' gaze flickered to the rat still clinging to Ron. "There'll be only one murder here tonight," he said, his mouth stretching into a smile. Revenge, after so long.

"Why's that?" Harry questioned, and Sirius was surprised to hear the amount of sheer hatred in his voice. "Didn't care last time, did you? Didn't mind slaughtering all those Muggles to get at Pettigrew…what's the matter, gone soft in Azkaban?"

"Harry…" Hermione's voice penetrated the tension, and Sirius felt his body relax. Though she was only thirteen, she would grow up to be the woman whom he adored, and at the moment, that was enough for him. "Be quiet!" Hermione still addressed Harry.

"HE KILLED MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry shouted, and he shook Hermione and Ron off of him and ran at Sirius.

Sirius, whose body was still lax from thoughts of his final year at Hogwarts, was unprepared, and allowed himself to be knocked to the ground by Harry. His fists flew violently, and Sirius was still. His vision began to blur, and he knew he had to act if he was ever to exact his revenge on Peter Pettigrew. He reached up blindly, his hand closing around Harry's throat. "No…" he said, his voice still scratchy. "I've waited too long,"

Hermione, however, did not know that in another time, she was to marry Sirius. She did not know that he was the first love of her life, and she wouldn't know the past until she reached her future. Her first instinct in the moment was to save her best friend, and that is exactly the reason why she sent a well aimed kick at Sirius' crotch.

He grunted in pain, rolling off of Harry. It was not the first time she had ever purposely kicked him there.

There was scuffling, some of which involved the cat, Crookshanks. A flurry of wands left Sirius lying against the wall with Harry pointing his wand directly at his Godfather's chest. Sirius laughed slightly at the irony of the situation: the girl he had been in love with for 15 years looking at him with disgust, his best friend's son about to murder him, and another boy, holding the rat responsible for it all.

"Going to kill me, Harry?"

Harry's chest rose and fell quickly, and he glared at Sirius. When he spoke, his voice shook "You killed my parents."

The gravity of the statement hit Sirius like a train. He hadn't sold his best friends to Voldemort. But he was still part of the reason why they were dead.

"I don't deny it. But if you knew the whole story."

"The whole story?" Harry asked, his voice full of disgust. "You sold them to Voldemort. That's all I need to know."

"You've got to listen to me." Sirius said. He knew his voice was full of pleading, but he didn't care. Harry had to know. He had to listen. And then he had to allow Sirius to kill the rat. "You'll regret it if you don't… you don't understand…" There was so much that Harry didn't understand, so much that Sirius had to tell him…

"I understand a lot better than you think. You never heard her, did you? My mum…trying to stop Voldemort killing me…and you did that…you did it…"

Sirius closed his eyes. Lily, sweet Lily Evans, who James had fallen in love with in first year, when he saw her on the train. Lily Potter, screaming for the life of her husband, her son, and herself…

There was a weight on Sirius, and he wondered vaguely if Harry had hit him again, but when he opened his eyes, he saw Crookshanks, the fluffy orange cat with whom he had made friends, sitting on his chest. "Get off." He said quietly, trying to push the cat off him, but it refused to budge.

There was a small sound from under them, and all four of the people in the room knew that must mean that someone was coming upstairs. "WE'RE UP HERE! WE'RE UP HERE – SIRIUS BLACK – QUICK!" Hermione shouted, and though it was against him, Sirius couldn't help but be a little pleased at hearing her say his name after so long.

The door opened, and there was another ghost of the past, Remus Lupin. He looked a little worse for wear, older, and certainly more worn down since the last time Sirius had seen him. Remus disarmed Harry, and turned to Sirius. "Where is he, Sirius?"

Sirius wasted no time and pointed at the rat in Ron's hands. Remus stared at Wormtail, the rat he had seen countless times during their years at Hogwarts, the man whom he had assumed to be dead for years. "But then… why hasn't he shown himself before now? Unless…unless he was the one…unless you switched, without telling me?"

Sirius nodded slightly, and it was as if time slowed down. Remus knew. He knew the truth. He knew Sirius – one of his best friends for seven years – was innocent. There was the muffled sound of Harry questioning Remus in the background, but Remus walked towards Black and helped him to his feet, and grabbed him in a hug.

Sirius was never one for much sentimentality, but this was different. His only remaining friend from Hogwarts – seeing as Peter didn't count – finally knew that he was not responsible for the death of two others, and that was worth everything.

The moment was broken by Hermione. "I DON'T BELIEVE IT." She shouted, staring at Remus. "You – you – "

"Hermione – " Lupin said, his gaze shifting from her to Sirius, who searched Remus. Remus saw the pain there, and he understood. He had gone the entire school year being only a professor to Hermione, a girl who had been one of his best friends his final year at Hogwarts, a relationship she would not remember for many years to come.

"I trusted you!" Harry shouted at Remus, turning all of his anger from Sirius to his professor. "All this time you've been his friend."

"You're wrong." Lupin said calmly. "I haven't been Sirius's friend, but I am now – let me explain…"

Sirius's heart soared at his words, but shouts from Hermione stopped his quick flash of happiness. "NO! Harry don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too – he's a werewolf."

Silence. How had she known? The question ran through both Sirius and Remus's minds, and it took several seconds for Remus to pull together the thoughts to respond. "Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione." He said, and Sirius repressed a laugh; even in a foreign time, with new people, Hermione had been top of the class. "Only one out of three I'm afraid. I have no been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead…I won't deny that I am a werewolf."

"How long have you known?" Lupin asked Hermione, though in his mind, the answer was 15 years.

"Ages. Since I did Professor Snape's essay."

Sirius wandered away from the group, sitting on the bed in the shack with defeat, putting his hand in his head. He heard questions and responses from others: Lupin explaining the Marauder's Map, James's invisibility cloak…

Seeing both Hermione and Remus in a few moments time had been too much for Sirius. In Azkaban, he had tried to do either one of two things: suppress memories, or live in them. When he was feeling strong, or disconnected, he would suppress them, and put his friends out of his head. When he needed to get away, he would put himself back in memories. The first time he had met Hermione, when they all graduated Hogwarts, James and Lily's wedding… Sometimes it was too much. Lately, the thought of finding Peter had consumed him. Now, however, there was no running from the past; it was everywhere.

Sirius looked up to see Remus talking to Ron about the rat. "What's my rat got to do with anything?" Ron questioned, holding the murderer close to him.

"That's not a rat." Sirius said suddenly, causing all eyes to land on him.

"What do you mean, of course he's a rat – "

"No, he's not." Remus said, looking towards Sirius. "He's a wizard."

"An Animagus." Sirius said calmly. "By the name of Peter Pettigrew."


	2. Chapter 1: Risk

**Hey there everyone! I wasn't really expecting so many people to read this story, and that's incentive enough to keep going with it. A few IMPORTANT NOTES about the story:**

**Though it will be said in the narrative, this story takes place the year after the last (not epilogue) chapter of Deathly Hallows. Ergo, Voldemort is defeated, and everyone is happy, Ron and Hermione have just kissed/gotten together and such.**

**Hermione has gone back to school to finish up her education, Ron and Harry have not.**

**I kept all the deaths in the story consistent with canon, EXCEPT I made it so that Remus is still alive. I'm sure no one will complain about that**

**So ignore the epilogue, and Remus is alive! Enjoy!**

"I have…to…go…" I panted, trying to wiggle myself free from underneath Ron's body. He grinned down at me, his smile filling up his freckled face. It was infectious, and soon I found myself to be laughing as well, but another look at the time prompted me to stop.

"Ronald…I have class in 2 minutes, and I have to walk from the front gates all the way there,"

"How about you just skip your class and stay with me today?" he pouted, his eyes widening as he stuck his lower lip out.

"How about I'll be back in 2 hours, and you can spend time with me then?" I countered, and he sniffed, slowly lifting his body off of me. I adjusted my top back to its proper position and brushed the hair out of my face. I didn't need Slughorn to think that I had just been shagging my boyfriend. Which I had been about to, that is, until I looked at the clock.

"I'll see you later," I called over my shoulder, picking up my bag on my way out of the room. Myself, Ron and Harry had all been staying at 12 Grimmauld Place; it had become our home since the end of the War. I walked out the door, calling a goodbye to Harry, and apparated to the front gates of Hogwarts.

Ron, Harry and I had all been offered the opportunity to return to school, or to go straight into our careers. Even though I felt that I had learned all that I needed to learn for my career, I decided to go back to school for the year. The past few months had been so non-stop and exciting, that being able to return to Hogwarts before properly starting my life would be good. Ron and Harry, however, thought very differently and decided to jump into their Auror training, not that much training was required anymore.

I had been offered the position of Head Girl at Hogwarts this year, but turned it down. It had instead gone to a Ravenclaw girl, with Neville Longbottom as the Head Boy. I split my time between sleeping at school and staying with Ron and Harry. I loved having time with the boys, but sometimes sitting in the dormitory with Ginny talking ABOUT the boys could be just as fun.

When I entered the castle I turned to the right, catching sight of Draco Malfoy on my way in. He too had decided to go back to school, seeing as he had missed most of his last year, and had been busy with Voldemort his sixth year. He caught sight of me and let his eyes pass by me, neither seeming friendly, nor hostile. Ever since Harry saved his life, he had been different. He wasn't bad, he wasn't good, he was just indifferent.

I turned right into the stairwell to go to the dungeons, but a strangled yell of "HERMIONE!" prompted me to stop. I turned, spotting Remus Lupin coming towards me, his hair flying in all directions, his general appearance exhausted.

"Professor," I said in surprise, leaning back against the wall of the stairs.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Hermione, call me Remus," he said, leaning against the opposite wall, obviously out of breath from the effort of catching up with me.

"What can I do for you?" I questioned, confused. Remus took a deep breath.

"I need you to skip your class." He said, and my confusion deepened.

"Why…." I asked, wondering what his point was. Did he really not want me to go to potions that badly?

"Just…don't go…" he said, his eyes pleading. "It's not worth the risk."

I looked at the man standing before me. He had been through so much, as much, if not more, than I had. At the end of the battle, his wife was dead. And they hadn't even been together long enough to truly enjoy each other. She was killed, leaving him to take care of their newborn son alone.

Of course, he was not alone; he had all of us. It just wasn't the same.

What was the 'risk' of which he spoke? I mean, sure, Neville was in my class, and that was always a risk with potions, but that was no more of a risk than any other day.

"What is it you're not telling me?" I questioned slowly, and his eyes dropped guiltily.

"That's…not something I can tell you," he said quietly.

"I thought we were friends, Remus. I thought we were in the Order together, we fought in the battle together. If there's something you need to say, you should say it."

"Just trust me," he said, the pleading look back. "Just trust me that you'll be better off if you skip that class. That you will avoid years of pain, not only for yourself, but for others as well."

"Remus, the war is over, Voldemort is gone, and nothing else is going to happen." I said firmly, turning towards the stairs. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to class, seeing as I'm already late."

He reached over, putting a hand on my arm. "Just remember that I warned you," he said sadly, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'll be here when you get back."

I nodded at him, gently removing my arm from his hold. I turned down the stairs, not looking back. What on earth...

Had it been anyone else, I would assume that the war had turned them crazy. But this was Remus Lupin, the man who had been through so much from the time he was 20 years old to now. He lost his best friends, thought one was a murderer, and finally learned the truth 12 years after. He was the last marauder; he couldn't be crazy.

"Ms. Granger, how nice of you to finally join us," Professor Slughorn said in a teasing voice. It's not like I had ever been late before, and the thought of me being late was comical to many professors.

"Sorry, I ran into Remus," I said vaguely, taking my seat next to Neville in the third row.

"It's quite alright, Ms. Granger, we were just going to start our discussion, if you would open your book to page 346," I nodded, retrieving my book from my bag, and turning to the correct page. "In the case of these particular potions…" Slughorn began, but my mind was already wandering. It seemed to do that in many of my classes lately, they just seemed a lot more trivial this year than in previous ones.

The daydreams were almost always about myself and Ron, and what we would be in the future. I fantasized of him asking me to marry him, of the gown I would wear, and even sometimes (though I was embarrassed to admit it) the children we would have. I tried not to think about sexual things while in class, because my face would turn scarlet, and I knew it would be a dead-giveaway.

Speaking of that though…there were things back at Grimmauld Place that had been about to happen before I had realized I had class. He had been on top of me, no shirt on, mine was about to come off… the kissing was feverish, his hands were all over my body…

'Stop it, Hermione," I scolded myself, and my face turned bright red. I picked up several pieces of parchment, fanning myself with them to cool down.

"You alright?" Neville mumbled to me, and I nodded, my face becoming even more red.

"Fine, it's just hot in here,"

"No, it's not."

"Just me, then," I said sweetly, turning back to listen to Slughorn. Innocent fantasies of Ron. Fantasies of getting married, or something of the like. There really was no doubt in my mind that Ron was the man I would marry. The date unknown, the action certain.

"Ms. Granger, do you know the answer?" Slughorn questioned. My head snapped up, my face blushing again. Shit. What was the question?

"Um, I'm sorry could you repeat the question?" I asked quietly, and his expression went to one of shock.

"Are you feeling quite alright Ms. Granger?" he asked. "First you're late, now you're not paying attention, is there something I can help you with?" I shook my head, my embarrassment rising. "Mr. Malfoy, could you answer the question, please?" I sank back in my seat, vowing to pay attention.

Was Remus still upstairs waiting for me? Potions was 2 hours long, was he going to stand up there that entire time? Or did he expect me to suddenly heed his warning and leave class? And WHAT….what was he warning me about?

The sudden movement of chairs snapped me out of my reverie; everyone was getting up and going to the cupboard for supplies. I got up quickly, hoping no one had noticed my delay.

"We need Gurdyroot from the first cupboard," Neville said to me quietly. "Are you alright?" I nodded to him, appreciating the concern.

"I'm fine, just feeling a little off," I lied smoothly, heading towards the first cupboard. I spotted the box on the top shelf, and I reached up on my tip toes to reach it. I was just about to reach it until someone bumped into the cupboard door, causing my hand to be knocked out of the way.

It was as if everything was in slow motion. I looked up to the cupboard door, where a small piece of wood slid to the side, and a gold object slipped out of a small pocket. On instinct, I grabbed it before it hit the floor. As I looked at it, I felt a pulling sensation in my stomach, and everything went dark.

**AAAAND that is chapter one for this story. It was a little shorter than I would have liked, but it was pretty much just a background chapter. We'll get into the plot and details later on.**

**So drop me a review, and I expect to have chapter 2 up next week! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 2: Dark

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. Again, sorry for the wait, I had a lot of homework to do, and honestly, I've been staying up late every single night late with my friends/talking to my boyfriend/etc. I'm finally starting to settle into sophomore year, though, so everything should be a little more prompt. As a response to one of the reviews….someone said they didn't believe this story could possibly have a happy ending. I'm going to tell all you readers right now…I hate unhappy endings. I like when people get what they want in the end. So do with that what you will aaand follow my tumblr insignificantramblingss … I'd love to hear from you all! =] Without further ado….Chapter 2!**

It was dark. Very dark. Too dark.

"What the bloody hell was that?" a male voice questioned. It sounded like Harry's voice, just slightly deeper. I cracked open my eyes, and found myself crouching in the fetal position in the potions classroom. I tried to sit up, but the movement caused a severe pain in my ribs, and I slumped unceremoniously back onto the ground.

"Hello?" a hesitant voice asked, and I looked up to see Professor Slughorn. I must have fallen while reaching for the potion ingredients. I'm not athletic, but not usually this clumsy.

"I'm sorry Professor, I'm not sure what just happened…." I trailed off, noting the look of utter confusion on his face. It was then that I began to notice the subtle differences between the scene I had just left and the one I had awoken in. Slughorn's face was thinner, younger. He was wearing different robes. The room smelled cleaner, and more like love potions, rather than what we were brewing moments earlier.

"Who is she, Professor?" Harry's voice questioned again, and I looked up to see him. Only it wasn't Harry. They looked similar, except the eyes. Harry's eyes were green, this person's eyes were brown.

"Holy shit." I mumbled under my breath, not at all concerned about language. That wasn't Harry, it was James Potter. As soon as the realization struck me, I promptly fainted.

* * *

><p>The smell of rubbing alcohol woke me from my deep sleep, and I cracked my eyes open, coming face to face with white. Everything was white; the walls, the floors, the bedsheets. Of course. I was in the Hospital Wing.<p>

"I must have fallen in potions, broken some ribs, and then Slughorn brought me to the Hospital Wing." I said out loud, sighing with the conclusion that I had not, in fact, just been in the presence of James Potter.

"I'm afraid that's only one out of three," a soft voice said, and I jumped slightly, whipping my head to the right to see Albus Dumbledore.

"Oh, Professor, what happened? Are Ron and Harry coming?"

"I don't know the answer to either of those questions, and considering that I am, of course, Albus Dumbledore, that is a very odd statement," he chuckled to himself quietly. Me, on the other hand, I was trying not to have a heart attack.

"Professor, what year is it?" I questioned, chanting 1997 in my head over and over again.

"It is, in fact, 1977."

"No…no, no, no, no…" I breathed, shaking my head back and forth. "That's just absurd, Professor. It's 1997, and I should be in potions class with Neville, and we should be brewing a potion together. And after class I should be going to dinner, and then going home to be with Ron and Harry. That's how it is."

"I suspected the moment I saw you that you were not from our time. You're from 1997, you say? Twenty years in the future…I assume you're a seventh year?" I didn't answer verbally, just nodded my head. "Is it also safe to assume that you might know who some of your new fellow classmates are?" Again, I nodded mutely.

"Well… Ms…"

"Granger, Hermione Granger" I supplied, sighing loudly.

"Ms. Granger. You seem like a smart young woman. I expect you know the rules of time travel? You may not reveal to those around you what will happen in the future."

I nodded miserably, but several seconds later, it hit me. I couldn't reveal to them what was going to happen. Everything could be prevented by my being here. Sirius wouldn't go to prison. James and Lily wouldn't trust Peter. They wouldn't die. Harry could have his parents, he would never have to live with the Durselys for so long. There were so many things I could do…and yet, I would have to sit idly by while things happened in front of me?

"I can't…" I started, choking on my words. "I don't know why this happened to me, Professor. Why would I be sent back here, is there a purpose? A reason? If I can't do anything to change what I know to be true in the future, what's the point besides self-agony. Things that are going to happen to these people are going to greatly affect the lives of people in my time that I love and…how am I supposed to just sit here and let history replay itself?"

"Ms. Granger. I understand your concern. The reason you were sent here? It could be a variety of things. Generally, time travel isn't for no purpose at all. Was it a time turner that brought you back here?"

"I couldn't fully see it…I was reaching up for an ingredient in potions and something slid out of a pocket, and I woke up 20 years in the past. I've used time turners before though…this seemed different."

"You've used a time turner?" Dumbledore asked, his tone one of surprise.

I nodded. "Yeah, for my third year, I was taking an overload of courses, and I was allowed to have a time turner to get to all of them. It was…academically fulfilling, but not something I would ever want to do again." Not to mention that I rescued one of my new classmates from getting his soul sucked out of his body. No need to bring that up.

"Which house were you in at Hogwarts in your time?" Dumbledore asked.

"Gryffindor,"

"That is where you will take up residence now, then. I believe you'll find our Head Girl, Lily Evans to be very friendly and helpful." I closed my eyes for a brief moment. Harry's mother. This was all too much to take in. "I'll escort you to the Gryffindor common room, and introduce you to your new classmates."

I nodded, swinging my legs off the bed and standing to join him, filled with new regard for the situation. No matter the year, I'm still Hermione Granger, and they say that I'm the brightest witch of my age. So who says I can't be the brightest with of two different ages? I had to take this in stride, and pretend that I was really part of this time, not from 20 years in the future. I had to pretend that I had never had Remus as a teacher. That I didn't watch Sirius Black die in front of me. That I wasn't best friends with James and Lily's son, and that he was a hero. That I didn't know Peter's true nature. Everything had to be forgotten. It was a science, it was academic. And academics were one thing that I don't shy away from.

I followed Dumbledore to the portrait of the Fat Lady, even though I would have been able to find it without his guidance. He gave her the password, and stepped into the portrait hole. "Ms. Evans, would you be able to retrieve Professor McGonagall for me?" Harry's mother, red hair swinging with motion, nodded, got up from the couch and disappeared into a side door, through which the Head of Gryffindor House's quarters were located. She returned a few moments later, McGonagall in tow.

"Good evening, Gryffindor House, and I hope everyone is doing well in their first week of classes," Dumbledore began, and there was a general sound of consensus in the common room. "This, is Hermione Granger." He indicated me, and I raised my right hand in an awkward wave. "She is joining us from up North, where she was formerly educated at home, but has decided to join Hogwarts for her final year of instruction. Please make her feel at home here, and treat her with the welcoming and respect Gryffindor House prides itself on," Dumbledore finished, looking particularly harshly at a group of 4 older boys in the corner. I immediately recognized them as the infamous Marauders. "Thank you, and if I could have a private word, Minerva?" McGonagall nodded, and followed the headmaster out of the room.

"Hi, Hermione, I'm Lily," Lily Evans was at my side, offering a hand to shake. I took it, my fingers trembling slightly. She took this as fear. "Don't be worried about being here, you seem like you're smart, and I'm sure you'll do fine." It wasn't apprehension. It was the experience of meeting a dead woman. "Here, I'll introduce you to everyone." She walked towards the center of the room, where a boy and girl were wrapped up in each other, both reading out of the same book.

"Alice, Frank, this is Hermione," Alice smiled, extending her hand, which I took, followed by Frank. Neville's parents. With their sanity still intact.

"I usually like to only say nice things about people," Lily muttered, rolling her eyes. Given what I'd heard about her and James's relationship, I was pretty sure where she was headed with the next introduction. "See the group of boys in the corner? They call themselves the Marauders. All they do is cause trouble, and make my life a living Hell. Somehow, that idiot on the left, the one with the messed up hair, he got to be head boy. Don't ask me how. I'll introduce you to them and then I'll tell you about the rest." She rolled her eyes again, motioning for me to follow her to the corner.

"Lily Darling, what do we owe the pleasure?" James asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Save it, Potter. I wanted to come introduce the new girl to you lot. Hermione, this is James, who had a perpetual bad hair day."

James frowned, running a hand through his hair again. "You love it Lily, don't lie. Oh, would you like to go out with me?"

"In your dreams, Potter." Lily said firmly. "This is Remus."

This, of course, I already knew. He was much younger, of course, but his eyes still held the tired quality, the cause of which, I was privy to. "Nice to meet you, Hermione." He said, smiling. I couldn't help but grin back. This was Remus, my friend, my professor.

"Moving along, this is Peter," Lily said, and I couldn't help but feel the bile rise in my throat to see Peter, sitting with the people who he would eventually betray.

"Pleasure," I said, practically through my teeth. It didn't seem that he had noticed my malice, however, as he continued to eat.

"Where's Sirius?" Lily questioned, looking around. "He was just here,"

"He's over talking to that blonde girl… she's a sixth year…what's her name? Jennifer? Jenna?"

"Her name is Jessica." Lily said, rolling her eyes yet again at James Potter's antics.

"Eh, close enough."

"Black!" Lily called across the room, and Sirius looked up. She motioned to him to come join the group, and he obliged, but not before throwing the sixth year a wink.

"Sup Evans?" He asked, flipping his hair behind his ear.

"Black, this is Hermione, the new student that Dumbledore told us all about,"

"Nice to meet you," Sirius said, his face breaking into a relaxed smile, as he offered his hand to me. It was then that I really got to look at him. Even after his release from prison, despite the weight loss and waxen-face, Sirius had been an attractive man. What was standing in front of me, however, was something different altogether. His skin was tan, his face flawless. His eyes were a light gray with tiny flecks of silver that reflected the light. He had the build of a Quidditch player, his height about six feet. Lean muscles were obvious through his thin shirt. His smile was gorgeous, and just accentuated the rest of his features. In short, Sirius Black was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen in my life.

"Nice to meet you too," I said, hoping my daze wasn't obvious on my face. No one laughed, so I assumed my acting was fine.

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" James suggested, and Lily shook her head. "I was thinking about heading up to bed, it's getting late, and we have an early class tomorrow morning."

"Sleep sounds good," I said quietly, the mental and physical exhaustion of my day catching up to me. "It was great to meet you all."

"We'll see you tomorrow," Remus said kindly, and I smiled at him. I knew we'd get along famously. I knew, of course, because we already did.

I followed Lily up the stairs to the seventh year girl's room, and I noticed there were only 3 beds. Lily must have noticed me looking. "It's only you, me and Alice. It will be nice to have another girl around, because honestly, all she can talk about is Frank, and sometimes it's a little frustrating." She offered me a small smile, and I smiled back, glad to have found a friend. A familiar one, in fact. She reminded me of Harry.

Lily loaned me pajamas for the evening, seeing as I would be visiting Hogsmeade for clothing and supplies the following day. As I crawled under my covers, I braced myself for an endless train of thoughts relating to the events of the day. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when I fell asleep immediately.

**Thanks guys! Drop me a review and I'll see you all next week!**


	4. Chapter 3: Adapt

**It's been a long time, but I'm back now. You have my word. **

Chapter 3: Adapt

The next morning, I spent five minutes in a blissful state of ignorance. I imagined that I was waking up in my own bed in Grimmauld Place (after I had run back from Ron's bed an hour previously), that Harry was downstairs reading the newspaper, and that I would be commuting to school for the day.

The best laid plans, and all that.

Instead, I opened my eyes to see Lily Evans staring at herself in the mirror, a concentrated look on her face. She was mumbling to herself, fluffing her hair every few moments. I sat up slowly, rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

"Oh, you're awake!" she said happily, coming over to sit on the edge of my bed. "Are you excited to go to Hosmeade today? I really need to get some new clothes, and perhaps makeup…" I yawned, still trying to wake up, as Lily rambled about the things she needed to buy.

"…and socks too, perhaps, and well, you just need everything, don't you?" she asked, and I nodded, painfully aware of the empty-ness of the room. I had no clothes, no supplies…not even a hairbrush.

"I think I'll need to visit about every shop." I admitted, sighing quietly. Where on earth was I going to get the money?

"I just remembered! Professor Dumbledore had a letter sent up to you this morning," Lily said, handing me a folded piece of paper. I unsealed it, turning it to read.

"Dear Ms. Granger," I read aloud; Lily had seemed curious. "I would like to see you in my office at 10 am, before you go to breakfast and Hogsmeade." I finished the letter, putting it down on the bed. "What time is it?"

Lily looked at the watch on her wrist "Uh… 9:47…" she said, trailing off. "So you have thirteen minutes."

I jumped out of bed and raced to the mirror. "Less than that, when you consider the five it takes to get to Dumbledore's office!" I said quickly.

"How would you know how long it takes to get there?" Lily asked, her voice vaguely suspicious. I froze.

"Uh…I just assumed it wasn't close to here." I lied quickly, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She seemed convinced.

"I'll take you there as soon as you're ready." She said, standing up off my bed. "I'll meet you in the common room." I nodded, thanking her.

I blew out a deep breath as the door closed behind her. "Close one, Hermione." I muttered to myself. I put my hair in a quick braid; after all, I didn't even have a brush, put on my clothes from the day before, and cast a teeth-cleaning charm on myself. I looked in the mirror. A disheveled, exhausted, and out of place girl looked back at me.

"Well. That's as good as it's going to get."

* * *

><p>"James Potter, you give that back to me right now!" Lily's scolding voice was the first thing I heard when I stepped into the common room.<p>

"Don't know what you're on about, Evans, I don't have anything of yours." James said in an innocent voice.

"You took my newspaper, now give it back." Lily said in a dangerous tone. All this over a newspaper? I rolled my eyes, and then allowed them to travel around the room. Alice and Frank were curled in an armchair, completely oblivious to their surroundings. It was cute, but knowing what would happen to them….I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Remus was sitting in a corner, watching the scene, an expression of amusement on his face. The Rat (I have to start remembering that he has a name) sat on a couch, laughing at Lily's annoyance. Sirius sat next to him, ignoring the fight, reading a newspaper.

"Lily?" I said, stepping into the room. Every head turned to me. "I'm ready to go if you are," I finished, trying to fight the blush that was staining my cheeks.

"I'm almost ready, I just have to deal with Potter!" she said angrily, her eyes practically popping out of their sockets.

"Ah," I said, sitting down on the couch next to Sirius. I glanced toward him, taking in his handsome face again. It hadn't been a trick of the light the night before – he was downright gorgeous.

"See something you like?" he asked, his eyes now on me. I cleared my throat, sitting up straighter.

"No…I was just wondering if that was Lily's newspaper that she's beating up your best friend for." I said quickly, amazed at my own lying skills. A cheeky smile came across Sirius's face.

"Well, yes, it is, but in all fairness, James took it first."

"And you just happened to…pick it up?"

"Watching Lily and James fight is a hobby for me,"

"Wait til they get together," I said, smiling slightly. Sirius turned to me.

"You think they will?"

Ah, shit. Did it again. "Well… I know a couple from my…er…hometown. It took them years and years to realize that they had feelings for each other, and now they're together, and they couldn't be happier." I bit my lip, thinking about Ron.

"So you have a boyf – "

"SIRIUS BLACK YOU GIVE THAT TO ME." Lily yelled suddenly, holding her hand out for the paper. Sirius stood up, smoothing out his clothes and folding up the newspaper.

"Evans, you should have just asked," he handed the newspaper to her, winked at both of us, and joined James at the portrait hole.

"Those boys." Lily muttered, tucking the paper under her arm. "Sorry, Hermione, are you ready to go to Dumbledore's office?"

I nodded. "Whenever you are,"

* * *

><p>"Ms. Granger, I have an impossible task."<p>

Sitting in Dumbledore's office, it was hard to see where anything had changed. The walls were lined with portraits, sans Dumbledore and Snape, of course. Fawkes stood on his perch in the corner, with the Sorting Hat perched on a shelf.

"Sir?" I asked, focusing back on the matter at hand.

"I want to clarify what we spoke about last night. I need you to pretend as though you come from another place, rather than another time."

"That's what I've been doing," I said slowly. Had I already done something wrong?

"I realize, and so far you've been doing an excellent job. But if I'm not mistaken, you know these students as adults?" I nodded once. "Then you'll understand my concern over your revealing the future."

"I do understand, Sir. It's already been very difficult for me to be around them…I know what will happen, and what won't…and it's been so hard." I finished lamely, looking at the ground. My vision was blurred with tears, and I blinked them away hurriedly.

"There is a war coming, isn't there Ms. Granger?" Dumbledore asked quietly. I looked up, nodding again. "I can't have you tell me what happens, but I've been reading the signs. I started an organization, called the Order of the Phoenix." Recognition must have dawned upon my face, for Dumbledore smiled gently. "I gather it is still in existence."

"Keep your head down Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said, standing up. "If there is indeed a war on its way, you do not want to be in its way." I stood up, nodding mutely.

"I understand, Sir."

"Anything you need, Ms. Granger, anything you think you should tell me, do not hesitate,"

"Thank you," I suppressed the urge to hug him, and instead, smiled slightly and exited the office.

* * *

><p>"Purple or maroon?" Lily asked, holding two scarves up to her neck. We had been in Hogsmeade for over three hours, and I had gotten nearly everything I would need for the rest of the term.<p>

"I think…purple, it goes better with your hair," I said, and she huffed, putting the maroon down with a flourish.

"This hair, it just clashes with everything."

"Everything except for your personality, darling, they're both fiery." James Potter seemed to appear out of nowhere, Sirius next to him, and Peter and Remus lagging behind.

"You are like a leech, Potter, do you ever get further than 10 feet away from me?" Lily asked, rolling her eyes. She pushed past the marauders, and made her way to the cashier.

"She loves me." James stated. Sirius clapped him on the back.

"Whatever you say, mate, though Hermione over here seems to think that you and Evans will end up together." James's attention swiveled to me.

"Really? Did she say something? How do you know? Does she say my name in her sleep?"

"Whoa, calm down." I said, holding a hand up. "I just get a feeling, that's all. She hasn't said anything to me except for how annoying she finds you."

James wilted slightly, but then perked back up. "So there's still hope, then?"

I nodded, putting a hand on his arm. "Just slow down, back off, and treat her like a normal human being, and maybe, just maybe, there will be hope."

"Thanks – ah shit, Sirius, duck, here comes Clingy!"

Sirius hit the floor, putting his hands over his head. "Tell me when she's gone," he whispered. I followed James's gaze to a girl standing outside the store.

"Isn't that the girl you were all over last night?" I questioned, looking down at Sirius curled on the floor.

"Hermione, if you're going to talk to me, you have to get down here." I rolled my eyes, obliging anyway. "And yes, that is her, but she is a stage five clinger, and I can't handle that kind of thing."

"So you're only in it for the physical aspect?" I questioned. Sirius looked at me blankly.

"Isn't that all there is?"

I rolled my eyes, standing up off the floor. "Ready to go?" Lily called across the store. I nodded, turning towards the four boys.

"Well, guys, it's been lovely, catch you all later!" I turned, following Lily out of the store.

"Do you think you got everything you need today?"

I surveyed the bags piled on my bed and scattered across the floor. "I think I'll be all set for a little while." I confirmed, and began to unpack.

"Lily," I said after a while of folding. "What do you really think of James?"

She sighed. "I don't know." She said slowly. "I don't have any feelings for him, that I'm sure of, but I don't think I hate him as much as I thought I did."

"Maybe you guys should be friends?"

"How can we be friends with him asking me out every hour? I can't even have a normal conversation with the boy!"

"Maybe he'll start to act more normal soon," I suggested. She, of course, didn't know that I had told James to be a friend to her.

"I doubt it, but if he does, then I can see us being friends,"

"Friends would be a good start." I said, folding my final shirt. Exhausted, I climbed into bed.

"A good start?" Lily questioned, laughing slightly. "It's not like I'm going to marry the guy!"

I laughed along with her, rolling onto my side. "Of course you won't," I said quietly, letting sleep wash over me.

* * *

><p>Leave me a review, guys! I'm already writing the next chapter<p> 


	5. Chapter 4: Learn

Chapter 4: Learn

At breakfast the next morning, Professor McGonagall wasted no time in handing me my schedule. It was full of the same classes I had been taking in my own time, except for one small difference.

"Why do we have a double Defense Against the Dark Arts twice a week?" I questioned the other seventh year Gryffindors.

"Blimey, Hermione, I didn't think you lived in a cave," James said, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, didn't you say you were homeschooled? You must know about You-Know-Who." Sirius added, picking the Daily Prophet up off the table. He flipped to the middle, folding it in half before handing it to me. "See all the obituaries? All because of You-Know-Who, they are."

Great. Voldemort. In the future, I hadn't had to worry about the Snake for months. Now, here, he was just rising to power. I glanced at the paper Sirius had handed to me. The obituary section was large, even larger than it was in the future. I bit my lip. Not revealing the future may not be my biggest problem after all; it seemed staying alive would be.

"We have double Defense because Professor Dumbledore wants to make sure that we know how to defend ourselves," Lily stated, answering my previous question. "He thinks that if we can protect ourselves, and protect each other, that we stand a chance against You-Know-Who."

"I reckon the Slytherins are just using the extra Defense classes to see what we'll be fighting with," James said darkly, glaring over mine and Lily's heads toward the opposite side of the Great Hall. Without thinking, I turned around, drawing in a sharp breath as the Slytherin table came into view.

There, seated where Draco Malfoy usually sat, was his father. Lucius hadn't changed much from his teenage self to his adult self; his face was still pointed, his hair long, and his nose crinkled with obvious distaste for everything and everyone around him.

Directly to his right was Bellatrix Lestrange. I looked at her with disgust, and I couldn't help the bile that rose in my throat. She didn't look as insane as I knew her to be in the future, but her eyes still held a twinge of maniacal, power-hungry thirst.

Lucius said something, and the Slytherins around him began to laugh. I watched in revulsion as Bellatrix leaned over to her future husband, and kissed him. Lucius grinned at the pair, and threw his own arm around a blonde girl's shoulders; upon closer inspection, I realized it was the future Narcissa Malfoy.

I turned around, fully dissatisfied, and quite honestly, lost for appetite. Sirius looked amused at my expression.

"Already don't like them, Hermione?" he asked, and I rolled my eyes, blushing slightly.

"They don't seem to be a very pleasant lot," I admitted, pretending that I didn't already know about the horrors that came out of the Slytherin House.

"Ah, they're not. At least you don't have to call them your family," Sirius said bitterly, and I tried my hardest to put on a confused face. "The crazy looking brunette with the wild hair? She and her sister – the blonde girl – they're both my cousins."

"Well you must have been sorted into Gryffindor for a reason," I said kindly, and he smiled, the first true smile I had seen from him.

"Thank you, Hermione." He said. "After dear old mum burned me off the family tapestry, I went to live with James. If there's a war coming, I don't want anything to do with my family and their twisted ways,"

"The second best decision you've ever made, mate, other than being my friend, of course." James said cheekily, to which Sirius clapped him on the back. James's grin suddenly dropped off his face.

"What are you doing here, Snape?" He asked, his voice snarling. I turned around to see none other than Severus Snape, standing awkwardly next to where Lily was sitting.

"That, Potter, is none of your business," Snape said coolly, turning his attention back to Lily. "Would you step outside with me, please?" he asked, his tone desperate. "I need to speak to you, it's urgent." He was practically begging her.

She seemed conflicted, her eyes jumping around the table. She sighed, getting up from her seat. "Five minutes," she conceded, following him towards the main doors.

James stood up, seemingly caught between staying where he was, and going after Lily. "Git." He mumbled, finally deciding to sit down again.

"Who is that?" I asked innocently, knowing that James's answer would be full of hatred.

"That is Severus Snape, and for some reason, Lily is still friends with the git. He's nothing but a slimy, worthless excuse for a wizard, and I'd bet my wand that he's going to end up working for You-Know-Who."

I, of course, knew the truth. Snape was hopelessly in love with Lily, and was a torn, abused boy; torn between staying on the good side with those who hated him, and working for someone who could give him power over his tormenters.

"Maybe you should give him a break?" I suggested timidly, and all four of the marauder's eyes landed on me.

"Give him a break? Hermione, he's one of the foulest people at this school, and I'm not just saying that because he doesn't smell very nice. He's going to end up on the wrong side, mark my words."

I bit my lip, deciding not to continue the argument. If James knew better, he would think twice before trusting his _friend _Peter, and think about it before judging people based on their looks. I, of course, had to sit idly by and let history play out. If only I could change it…

Unfortunately, I couldn't.

* * *

><p>"…wants to be friends again, as if I'd ever consider that! Going on and on about how he'd changed and this and that…" Lily and I had a free period before our first class, so after breakfast, she and I had headed back up to our dormitory. She was currently complaining about Snape.<p>

"…after he called me a mudblood! And he thinks that he can just get away with acting like the past is the past and none of it matters. Well, I'll be damned if I let him off the hook this time!" Lily looked at me, and flopped on her bed with a large huff.

"Did you tell him all of that?" I asked timidly. She sat up again, propping herself up on her hands.

"I did, in not so many words. Told him that I couldn't really forgive him after what had been said, and that I had changed too, grown up, and that I didn't wish to be friends with him anymore."

"What did he say?"

"He was upset, starting to practically beg me, and the thing is Hermione, I don't understand where it all came from. Why now, why all of a sudden?"

"James seemed to think that he was going to go bad…" I said tentatively.

"James doesn't like Severus anyway," Lily said thoughtfully. "Though Potter may actually have a point. What if…what if me rejecting his friendship was the last straw? What if now he is going to go to the other side…and it's all my fault?" A terrified look came over Lily's face then, and I quickly got up off my bed and sat next to her.

"Lily, no one person can change someone else. If someone is destined to be on the other side, then that's how it's going to be, no matter what you, or anyone else says. If he's going to be on our side, it probably won't be by choice…it will be by default."

"You sound like you've seen something like it before," Lily said, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"People don't realize they're on the good side until they can see that the bad side isn't in their best interests. Some people see it right away, others…it takes time. Trial and error, yeah?"

Lily nodded, sighing quietly. "I don't want there to be a war,"

"No one does…but if there's a war coming, we have to be prepared."

* * *

><p>"Defense can take on a lot of forms. It can be physical, magical, or even logical." It was double Defense, and Gryffindor was paired with Slytherin. Of course.<p>

"Does anyone know of an example of logical defense?" Professor Rileston, a large, tough looking man asked. Immediately, my hand shot up.

"Yes, Ms. Granger?" he prompted, and I cleared my throat slightly.

"Logical defense would be that of the mind," I began, and he nodded me to continue. "Occlumency is one of the main defenses of the thoughts, and if someone is accomplished at it, they will be able to throw up a mental blockade to avoid penetration,"

I heard a giggle to my right, and looked to see Sirius and James both trying not to laugh. They were certainly immature if the word 'penetration' would crack them up. They were exactly like Harry and Ron.

"Very good, Ms. Granger, ten points to Gryffindor," Professor Rileston said, moving to the blackboard. He suddenly turned around to look at me, his eyes boring into mine, and without hesitation (though frankly, out of force of habit), I threw up my mental barrier, walling my memories behind it.

"Impressive, Ms. Granger," He said, his voice interested. "How is it that you're only seventeen, and yet, have managed to perfect Occlumency training?"

I blinked, willing myself to come up with a reason. "Well…" I said, thinking fast. "My mother taught me at home, as sort of a supplement to my homeschooling." There. That should be good enough.

"Take another ten points to Gryffindor, for sheer skill," he said approvingly, before turning back to the blackboard.

I sighed, letting out the gust of air I hadn't even realized I'd been holding. Another close call. I opened my book to follow along with Professor Rileston's lecture, when a note fluttered onto my desk. I picked it up, and carefully unfolded it.

_Can you teach me?_

I turned to my right and noticed Sirus looking at me questioningly. I hastily scribbled a response, and sent the note flying back to him.

_Occlumency? I can try, but aren't we learning it in class? _

I watched Sirius open the note, read my response, raise his eyes skyward, before writing back a response.

_This git? He doesn't teach us anything…even though this is the time we need this class more than ever. I'd like to learn…if you're willing to teach me? _

I grumbled under my breath, feeling torn. Spending extra time with people that I had known in the future was dangerous; there were so many more opportunities to blow my cover. On the other hand…what would it hurt? I could teach Sirius Occlumency, and help him out…not to mention he's very easy on the eyes…

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I drew in a breath, wrote my response, and sent the note flying back to Sirius.

_Okay. Common room tonight at nine. Come with your best and worst memories. _

* * *

><p><strong>Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, they were wonderful to read! I want to quote one review: "its kinda sad to think that when she got back, Sirius would be dead and all." <strong>

**...that is sad to think about...and generally...I don't like sad things. Hermione going back in time isn't canon...so who says anything else has to be, either? ;)**

**LOVE you all very much! I hope everyone liked the new additions (Malfoy, Bellatrix, Snape..) They're not going to play a huuuge role, but they are certainly going to be fun to play around with! **

**The friendship and romance will pick up soon, and I can promise that Hermione WILL have a very bad slip up next chapter - so stay tuned!**

**-Brittany**


	6. Chapter 5: Mistake

**My loves, I am so so so sorry that it took me longer than usual to get this update up! I just moved from the United States to London for a semester studying abroad, and I've been settling in for the past 2 weeks and getting acquainted with the area, school and travelling! **

**Without any further ado, here is chapter 5, and I will try to get the next few up with less delay! **

Chapter 5: Mistake

It was with trepidation that I entered the Gryffindor common room that night. Why on earth had I agreed to teach Sirius anything, let alone something that could possibly allow him to enter into my mind?

I took a deep breath, rolling my eyes slightly at myself. What could I do now? Cancel on him? That would be just plain rude, so with a sigh, I walked across the room to the couch that Sirius had settled himself into.

"Evening," he said without looking up. He was staring at the nightly Daily Prophet, a frown etched on his face.

"Something wrong?" I questioned. He shrugged, rustling the newspaper before putting it down.

"There always seems to be something wrong," he shrugged again, putting his hands behind his head and turning towards me. "So, what's on our agenda for tonight?"

I looked around, considering. "Well, I think we'll stick to the bare basics tonight," I said slowly, gauging his reaction. "I don't know if we'll get to any actual memories."

"Aw, but I brought my best and worst for you!" Sirius said jokingly, pouting his lip out. I laughed slightly, still nervous about the lesson.

"I guess we'll see how it goes." I said, shrugging my shoulders in an attempt to seem casual. Sirius stood up. "Oh… you can sit down, I'll sit over here – " I motioned to the seat across from him. "and we can just do the theory now."

"Got it," he said, sitting down again.

I took a deep breath. "Well…in theory, Occlumency should be able to block anyone from entering your mind. If you can successfully set up a barrier to your memories, it will prevent access to any thought, idea or concept. The idea is to put up a kind of wall, or blockade, and if you imagine your thoughts locked behind that wall, they're safe from everyone."

"That sounds too simple…I just have to imagine a wall and suddenly my memories are safe?"

"It's easy to imagine a wall," I said slowly. "But the tricky party is picturing your thoughts locked behind it. If someone tries to enter your mind, you have to have every single memory behind that wall. If you've missed anything, anyone can pick through what you've left in front of the wall."

"How am I supposed to think of every single memory I've ever had and put them behind a wall?" Sirius asked in disbelief.

"We'll build up to that." I said, sitting back. "We can just start by putting one thing behind the wall, and seeing if I'm able to find it or not."

"Are we going to do that now?"

I hesitated. I hadn't intended to use magic during the first lesson. We had only been talking for five minutes, though, and that didn't seem to constitute a proper session.

"I suppose we could,"

"What should I block from you?" Sirius asked, sitting forward eagerly. I wracked my brain for something simple.

"How about what your favorite color is?" I suggested, and he nodded, his face falling into a puzzled look.

"I think I'm ready," he said after a minute, and I nodded, pulling my wand out of my pocket.

"If at any time you're uncomfortable or want to stop, just tap me, okay?" I said, to which he nodded. I pointed my wand at his head, "Legilimens!"

One second later, I was flying through Sirius's brain, memories and ideas on either side of me. How would I be able to find his favorite color? His bedroom at home was probably covered in his favorite color; Grimmauld Place would be the perfect place to find the answer.

As soon as I thought of it, a memory involving Sirius's home popped into view, and I eagerly kept going. Up the stairs, and down the hallway and I was in Sirius's room. The walls were painted gray, but the bedspread, decorations and rugs were all red. I had my answer, and I pulled out of Sirius's head.

"Red." I said as soon as I was back in my own head. Sirius looked surprised.

"How did you find that?" he questioned, and I shrugged.

"I figured all I had to do was look at the colors of your bedroom and I would be able to find it,"

He looked impressed. "How do you navigate through thoughts?"

"If you have an idea of where you need to go, you can just think of that and look for it, so with your house, I just had to think of Grim-well I just had to think of your house and I was there,"

Sirius gave me a strange look as my face heated up from embarrassment. I had almost slipped up…again.

"What were you going to say?"

"Nothing, I was done." I said quickly, looking down. "I think perhaps we should just – "

"Hermione," Sirius said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "How do you know where my house is?"

I felt the blush staining my cheeks grow darker. "I don't know where your house is," I muttered, looking anywhere but his eyes. He squeezed my shoulders gently.

"You were going to say Grimmauld Place, weren't you?"

I started to disagree, and suddenly, everything rushed at me at once: the pain from leaving home, the sorrow of seeing people I knew to be dead, and the stress of finding a way back to Ron and Harry. It all hit me like a train, and I dissolved into tears and fell forward into Sirius.

"Woah, woah." He said quietly, taking his arms off my shoulders and putting them around my back. "What's the matter?"

I didn't answer, just continued to cry. I couldn't stop thinking of how much I missed Ron and Harry, and how sad it was that Sirius, James, Remus, Lily and even Peter were all dead. How it wasn't fair that I had already gotten to know Harry's parents more than he had.

"You…you're not from here, are you?" Sirius questioned, and I shook my head, pulling my face out of his chest and sniffling.

"No, you know I was homeschooled." I said, so convincingly that I almost believed it.

"No, Hermione. You're not from here, are you? I can't figure it out, but you don't seem to be from this time."

I gulped, my heart dropping into my stomach. "What…what do you mean?"

"I'm not going to tell anyone, so don't worry about any of that." Sirius said, running a hand up and down my arm. "I just think we can agree that now I know that you're from a different time, and if one day you just disappear, that I can just assume you've gone back, okay?"

I couldn't speak, so I just nodded.

"And also…we can forget about you knowing where I live. I don't want to make you uncomfortable by asking about the future and such," Again, I just nodded.

"Thank you," I finally managed to get out, and he smiled, pulling me into him for another hug.

"Anytime," he said, his voice muffled slightly from our closeness. "Though you should know, if you were to suddenly disappear, we would all be quite disappointed."

* * *

><p>I sat in the Prefect's bathroom, practically choking on my sobs. My chest was heaving, the cries forcing their way out of my mouth in gasps. I had been here for a whole three days; the breakdown was inevitable at this point.<p>

I had been trying…trying so damn hard to not let anything slip. It was difficult – there were simple things that had nothing to do with the people that I was with that I had to keep locked away. I should have known that teaching Occlumency to Sirius would not go well. I had thought the issue would be him accidentally getting into my mind, but instead, it ended up being me revealing too much.

I rolled my eyes slightly at myself, hiccupping on the sobs still wracking my body. God, what would Harry and Ron say to me now? The thought of them sent a pang through my chest and I closed my eyes, willing the memories away.

I had to get out of here. This was too difficult – and it wasn't just for my sake. The entire course of history could be altered if I let something slip. It was too dangerous. Perhaps between myself and Dumbledore, we could work something out…

Without another thought, I stood up from the floor of the bathroom and wiped my eyes, heading off for Dumbledore's office.

* * *

><p>"I don't understand what you want me to do, Ms. Granger."<p>

I sighed, running a hand though my tangled hair. "I want to figure out a way for me to get back, I cannot stay here."

He looked at me piteously. "I understand your not wanting to be here. I'm sure it's difficult, seeing people here and knowing things about the future that you cannot reveal. But Ms. Granger, there was a purpose for your being sent here. If you did not intentionally use a time turner or a spell to send yourself back in time, then there is a reason you are here. Magic works in very mysterious ways, as I'm sure you know, and that is why I cannot help you. As it is, I do not even know where to begin."

"What do you mean you don't know? You're Albus Dumbledore, you're the only person Voldemort was ever afraid of, you – "

"Be careful, Ms. Granger, before you reveal something to me that you should not."

I clamped my mouth shut, thinking hard. How could I convince him to help me?

"Sirius Black knows that I'm not from here." I said quietly. Dumbledore looked at me sharply, inclining his head for me to continue. "He asked me to help him learn Occlumency, and I told him that I would. While we were practicing I almost said the name of his family home. I know of it in my time, you see, and I just forgot."

"You didn't tell Mr. Black that you knew of it from a history book, or a newspaper, perhaps?" Dumbledore suggested. I blinked. Of course. It was so obvious.

"No," I mumbled, embarrassed at my own stupidity. "I just sort of started crying and he guessed at the rest. He said he's not going to tell anyone though," I added helplessly to the end, and Dumbledore nodded curtly.

"If Mr. Black says he's not going to tell anyone, then I believe him. He's a smart and loyal boy, and I would say your secret it safe with him. But Ms. Granger, I must implore you to be careful. Try to find what your mission is to be here, and then maybe, you will return home on your own."

"Thank you, Professor." I said, standing out of my chair and moving to the door.

"You're welcome, Ms. Granger, and please do not hesitate to come and see me again," he said kindly, and I smiled, waved a little, and left.

* * *

><p>"You are Hermione Granger." I told myself in the mirror later that night, standing tall in front of the sink in the Prefect's bathroom. "Your best friends are Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and with them, you helped defeat the most evil wizard of all time. You have been through Hell, and back, and still, you are here. You are a Gryffindor, and you will get through this." I nodded at myself as if to affirm these convictions.<p>

I took a deep breath, looking at myself in the mirror one last time. I looked tired, but there was a renewed vigor in my eyes that I had missed the past few days. I was ready to figure out what my mission in the 1970s was, and I would do it with unfailing bravery and confidence.

They didn't call me the brightest witch of my age for nothing.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks guys! Drop me a review, and I'll get chapter 6 up asap! <strong>


	7. Interlude: Sirius

**Hello everyone! I think this is my favorite chapter so far. What I decided to do was a few chapters called "interludes". The prologue was one, this is one, and then there will be one more. They're all from Sirius's point of view, and they take place during the written Harry Potter books, when Hermione wouldn't know who Sirius is. They're sad, but they're fun to write from a different perspective. Next chapter we'll back back with Hermione, and then the romance starts to heat up! Enjoy! **

* * *

><p>Interlude 2: Sirius<p>

I honestly believe my life should be turned into one of those muggle moving-picture things. You know, the ones with the famous people acting out situations and getting paid for it? Picture this: a story about a time-traveling girl who happens to land in a boy's final year at school. They fall in love, everything is wonderful, and then one day, she's just gone. Then, after more than a decade of prison, the boy and girl are finally reunited, except it's before she knows who he is. So what does the boy do? He sits in his room, alone, while she spends time with her friends downstairs, completely ignorant.

What a story.

In all seriousness, I really am sitting in my room, sulking. I know I'm acting like a pre-pubescent whiner, but how can anyone blame me? Only a few know about the situation, so I guess only they understand. Remus knows, obviously. Moody knows, and so does Kingsley. Hermione was gone before Molly and Arthur joined the Order the first time around, and thank Merlin for that. They're obviously hoping that she ends up with their son Ron, and that would make everyone uncomfortable if they knew about the past. Snape knows about everything, but he's known for years, and has never said anything.

He's still a git.

"Buckbeak," I muttered, turning to the hippogriff on my right. "What do I do?" There was no response, though I suppose that if an animal turned and spoke to me, I'd have a lot more to worry about than just Hermione.

"Up here again, Black?" I turned to the doorway, where Severus Snape stood, leaning casually against the frame.

"What do you want Snape?" My voice was tired, and lacking the usual bite it held while addressing someone I hated as much as Snape.

"Wondering why you're wasting your pathetic excuse of an existence on someone as annoying as Ms. Granger, when obviously, things are not going to work out." He said, in a bored tone.

"You're always so cheerful, Snivellus." I commented dryly. "Though now that you mention it, that's exactly what I was thinking about. Thank you for adding to it. Why don't you go along and make a potion or something?"

He sneered at me over his large nose. "I could do nothing, and still be more useful than you," he said, turning back towards the hallway. "Why don't you just run away with that bird of yours again, and save everyone from having to look at you moping around?" He turned before I could reply.

I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a deep breath. I shouldn't be listening to anything that Snape says, anyway. Even if he is right.

It was moments like these that I missed James the most. If he were here, he would know exactly what to say, and how to make me feel better. He wouldn't be able to fix the situation – no one could – but he would be able to get me laughing again in no time.

"You alright?" I looked up. Remus this time.

I sighed, standing up from the floor. "Yes. No. I don't know." I said honestly, shrugging my shoulders. "Sometimes it seems better than other times, yeah?"

Remus nodded. "It's still hard for me to see her, so I can imagine how difficult it is for you."

I bit my lip, burying my head in my hands. My shoulders were shaking; I could feel the tears threatening. I heard Remus's slow footsteps approach me, and a cautious arm go around my shoulders. We stood there, two grown men, half embracing; we shared the same reason for grief.

"She was my wife, Remus." I said bitterly, wiping my eyes on the back of my shirt.

"She _is_ your wife." Remus corrected, and I rolled my eyes, throwing my hands up.

"I don't understand how you can say that," I said loudly, pacing the room. "She doesn't even KNOW me! She doesn't know a single thing about me, except that you and me are friends and that I'm Harry's godfather. It's just not FAIR, Remus. She doesn't know I exist, she doesn't know where we meet, and WHEN we meet. She doesn't know how good of friends she was with Harry's parents, and with you, and that she knew Wormtail before he betrayed Lily and James, and…" I crossed to the other side of the room, reaching down to the floorboard. I pulled it up, revealing a compartment. "She doesn't know this exists." I held a box out for Remus to see.

He came over to me, taking the box from my hands, and sitting on my bed. He took the cover off the top, revealing the first item: mine and Hermione's wedding album.

"You can never let her see this," Remus said, his mouth hanging open slightly.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you think I'm that stupid? There's a charm on it."

Remus didn't say anything, just flipped through the book slowly. "She looked beautiful," he commented, pausing on a photo of Hermione before the ceremony. She had wanted a muggle ceremony: the white dress, the tuxes, and some traditional words.

"Don't look at my wife, Remus." I tried to joke, but even to my own ears, it sounded feeble.

"Oh," Remus said quietly, pausing on another picture. I looked at the photo, and then at his face; he had a lone tear trekking down his face. "I'll never forget when she asked me to walk her down the aisle to give her away to you. She said she felt like I was her brother, and that even in her time, she had always looked up to me. I've never been so…honored." He shook his head as if to rid the memory, and then continued through the book.

"Lily was so excited," I said quietly. "Her and James's wedding was a few months after ours, remember?" Remus nodded, flipping to the next page; a photo James and I together.

"He was so proud of you," Remus said. "You went from this playboy who couldn't find a decent girl to finding Hermione, and you didn't even need any guidance…you just knew. We didn't have to tell you that she was for keeping."

"There's never been anyone else…and even if I hadn't ended up in Azkaban, there wouldn't have been anyone else." I said firmly.

"Between you and Hermione, and James and Lily, I had never seen so much love and happiness."

"You could be that happy, if you would give Tonks a chance," I said, frowning slightly. Remus sighed, turning to look at me.

"She's too young for me, it's too dangerous, it's…"

"If you have learned anything from knowing me, I hope it's that you have to take every chance, because you don't know when they'll be gone. It's never the perfect moment, Remus. Every moment is the perfect moment with the right person."

In lieu of responding, Remus flipped another page in the album. I peered over his shoulder. "We were really great friends, weren't we?" It was a photo of the Marauders.

"We thought so," Remus said, running a finger over Peter's face in the photo. "What could we have done, how could we have - "

"Remus, we've discussed this before," I said firmly. "There was nothing we could have done for Peter, except not made him the secret keeper…it was our fault for trusting him."

Remus nodded, putting the album aside and looking into the box. More pictures – mine and Hermione's first apartment together (we had bought it right out of Hogwarts), a picture of Hermione holding a newborn Harry (he was screaming), and a picture of the six of us at Hogwarts (myself, Hermione, Lily, James, Remus and Peter).

"This is one of my favorites." Remus said, pulling the last one out. We were all sitting on the grass near the Lake at Hogwarts. It was the end of October – Hermione had been with us for almost two months.

"I think this was one of the first moments that I knew there was something different about her," I said quietly, taking the photo from Remus's hand. It was evident, even in the photo that my feelings for her had changed. In one second I was looking at the camera, and in the next, my face had moved to stare at hers.

"You look…intrigued." Remus commented. I nodded.

"I knew she was from the future." I admitted. Remus turned sharply.

"She told you before you were dating?"

I nodded again. "She told me by accident…remember when she was teaching me Occlumency?" Remus nodded. "Well she accidently mentioned Grimmauld Place, and I guessed at the rest."

"Even after that, even though you knew she could disappear at any moment, you still went along and fell in love with her?"

"I couldn't help it if I tried."

* * *

><p>Dinnertime is also commonly referred to (in my head) as the worst time of the day. I'm under constant scrutiny from the people that know Hermione was my wife, and then to top it off, I'm trying so hard to be a father figure to Harry…all while dealing with my own issues trying to pretend Hermione isn't there.<p>

"Sirius, wake up!" Harry said jokingly, hitting me on the arm with his fork. I shook my head back and forth, trying to clear my thoughts.

"What, sorry?" I said, looking around. The whole table was staring at me; Moody looked especially mutinous.

"I was asking for the potatoes," Hermione said, laughing slightly. I turned pink, picking up the bowl and handing it to her across Harry.

"Sorry, I'm a little out of it," I apologized again, and she laughed, digging the spoon into the potatoes and dropping a helping on her plate.

"It's no problem, usually I don't even like potatoes, I'm just in the mood for them tonight," she shrugged, passing the bowl to Fred.

_I know that you don't like potatoes. You only like them when they're smashed properly, with no chunks, because the bits of potato skin bother you. You love French fries, but only if they're sweet potato fries, otherwise, you need to put a lot of salt on them. You love scalloped potatoes though, because they remind you of Easter Sunday with your parents back before you when to Hogwarts. I know all of these things because you are my wife, and I am your husband, and we were in love, and dammit, I'm still in love with you and why can't I tell the world?_

I smiled weakly at Hermione's comment, and turned back to my food. The sooner I could eat, the better it would be. I should spend some time with Harry, though…Remus said that he was feeling as though I was neglecting him. James wouldn't like it if I neglected his son because I couldn't get out of my own mind.

"Harry, I was wondering if you would spend some time with me in the study later?" I said, to which he nodded.

"What do you want to do?" Harry questioned, his mouth full of food.

"For starters, I don't want you to choke on your food," I said, raising an eyebrow. He swallowed his food, grinning sheepishly. "And I just wanted to have a chat, maybe some tea, see how things are going." Harry nodded, and continued to eat. I looked at Remus and jerked my head at Harry, to which he nodded curtly.

Maybe if I could focus on Harry, I would be able to forget about my own problems. At least for a little while.

* * *

><p>After dinner, I went to meet Harry in the study. He was already there, looking at the books that lined one wall. "Was my dad ever here?" he asked. I sat down, looking around the room.<p>

"You mean in this room specifically, or in this house?"

"This house."

"He was here, Harry, him and your mom were both here at one point. This was the headquarters the first time around too, so they would have been here for meetings."

"Did you live here?"

_No, I lived with your best friend. _ "No, I had a flat in London."

"By yourself?"

_No, I was married to Hermione. _"Er…yeah. Just me."

"What did you do when you got out of Hogwarts? Did you just join the Order or did you do other things first?"

_I got married, settled down. Hermione made me go to Auror training, while she went to school to be a healer. We were both in the Order of the Phoenix. _"I went to Auror training for awhile and then was mostly full time for the Order."

"Sorry I'm asking so many questions, I just don't know anything about what happened back when my parents were still…you know."

"Alive." I supplied, sitting forward in my seat. "I understand, Harry. I'm still so sorry that you didn't get to spend proper time with them. You really would have loved them, they were wonderful people…the best friends a guy could have."

Harry was silent for a moment. "Why didn't you get married like my dad did?"

_I did, I got married before your dad! _ "It didn't work out," I said wistfully, staring at the wall behind Harry's head.

"What happened?"

_She went back to her own time period. _ "Life…it got in the way. Between the war, and my going to Azkaban…it couldn't last." I cleared my throat. "What about you, Harry? Got a special lady in mind?" It was definitely time to change the subject.

Harry blushed slightly. "There's this girl at Hogwarts, her name is Cho Chang. I liked her last year but she was with Cedric…"

"Ah, that's awkward." I said sympathetically.

"I don't know, there isn't really anyone I'm interested in besides her."

"No one? What about Ginny Weasley?" I asked sneakily, to which Harry laughed.

"Ginny? She's like my sister! I mean she's Ron's sister, so technically, it would be alright, but just the thought…no! That's weird, just wrong…" Harry trailed off, still in thought.

"Well, Harry, I think I'll head up to bed," I said, clapping him on the back. His face was still very confused. "See you tomorrow," I laughed as I left the room.

"Goodnight," Harry said vaguely. I laughed again. Maybe Harry, like James, had a thing for redheads. Who knew?

* * *

><p>I got back to my room to find that all the pictures were still sitting out on my bed. I walked over to them, sat down, and slowly packed them back into the box. With the wedding album, I paused, placing a finger over Hermione's smiling face.<p>

"Goodnight, my love." I whispered, putting the album on the top of the box and placing the lid over it. Back into the floorboard and away it all went, leaving me to climb into bed to dream about being the man in the photographs once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Well I'm not going to say that I didn't get a little teary while I was writing this - little emotional when you think about how difficult that must all be! Drop me some love in the review box, and I'll get started on the next chapter straight away! :D<strong>

**-Brittany**


	8. Chapter 6: Dance

**Hello readers! Sorry this has taken me so long. I've recently had a lot of personal issues regarding a death of a close friend at home, and I haven't been in any mood for writing. I took my time on this one, making sure it was nice and long and worthy of such a long hiatus. The POV switches a lot in this chappie between Hermione and Sirius - shouldn't be too confusing! Enjoy my readers :) **

Hermione POV

"All this shit, and I don't even know how to waltz!"

I laughed inwardly, rolling my eyes at Lily.

It had been two months since I had arrived in the 1970s, and oddly, everything seemed to be going alright. I had fallen into easy friendships with Lily, Remus, James and Sirius (I tried as hard as I could to avoid Peter). It was like I already knew them - I had known Sirius and Remus in my time, and James and Lily were really a combination of all of the qualities in Harry that I loved and missed. I spent most of my time with either Lily or Sirius. For the last week of school, we had been preparing for the Halloween Ball. Apparently, this was a tradition that Hogwarts had, at least up until the night James and Lily were murdered. Dead ex-students didn't mark a day for celebration in my world, and the memory of yearly balls was quickly extinguished.

In the 1970s, however, the Halloween Ball was the most important night of the year, according to Lily, and to get ready, we had to spend hours in Hogsmeade, getting our hair and makeup done professionally.

"You really think we're going to waltz at a Halloween costume ball?" I questioned, letting my eyes close as the man doing my hair rubbed shampoo into my scalp.

"Now, Hermione, who has been to one of these before?"

"You have…"

"Therefore, I would know. We waltz. Well the head boy and head girl do… which means I have to dance with Potter, so that's just wonderful."

"Is that why you're so nervous?" I teased, laughing slightly. To my right, Lily spluttered.

"What? No way!"

"Sure, sure,"

"You can sit up now," the hairdresser said, and I obliged, careful not to disturb my sopping hair. I've never been a girly-girl, but Lily insisted that we get completely dolled up for the ball tonight; apparently it was what she did every year. We had bought elaborate costumes – I was going as Morgan le Fay, while she was a Greek goddess. We both had masks, long dresses, and soon, perfectly coiffed hair.

"So, serious question." Lily said as she plopped into the seat next to mine. I looked at her in the mirror, raising my eyebrows to signal her to continue. "Do you like Sirius?"

Now it was my turn to splutter. "God, no!" I said finally, pulling myself together. In the mirror above me, the two hair stylists were smirking.

"You have to admit that he's attractive."

"Anyone with eyes could see that he's attractive! That doesn't mean that I like him!" I said logically. Lily laughed.

"No need to shout, Hermione, Black can't hear you from here,"

"You're insufferable." I muttered, crossing my arms in front of me.

"You know if you do like him - "

"I don't!"

"I know, you've said, but like, if you did, it would be okay."

"I'm glad you think so."

"Well, I'm just saying, because Potter let slip that Sirius might like you."

I twisted in my seat, causing my stylist to pull my head back to its original position. "What?" I squeaked, my face flooding with color.

"I mean, you don't like him, so why do you want to know?"

"Tell me, now." I said, pouting slightly. Lily laughed.

"Well, Potter asked me out, like he usually does. Asked me to the ball tonight, actually. When I said no, like I usually do, he muttered some remark under his breath that I couldn't hear. So I told him to speak up, and he said, and I quote 'Sirius wants to sweep Hermione off her feet, so we're both going to be alone' and then he seemed to realize what he said and ran off. Haven't talked about anything except for head stuff since then."

I forced my slack jaw to close. Sirius planned to "sweep me off my feet"? That couldn't' possibly be true! Sirius could get any girl, and I mean ANY girl that he wanted…why would he want the time-stuck book nerd?

"Well don't act like you're so surprised, Hermione, he's been staring at you for weeks."

"What do you mean?"

"He sits with Potter during classes and he stares at you…. Like everything you do, it's sort of creepy, actually. But it's cute, too, because the way Potter made it sound… like "sweeping you off your feet" sounds like he actually likes you, not that he wants to get with you."

"Well, I can assure you he won't be getting with me," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I don't know, Hermione." Lily said thoughtfully, smiling slightly. "Usually when Sirius Black wants a girl, he gets a girl."

"I'd like to see him try."

* * *

><p>"Ah fuck, mate, I can't do this." I moaned, throwing the black tie on the floor. James looked over, his expression torn between confusion and exasperation.<p>

"Sirius, what is the matter?" he questioned, walking over to where I stood. His tie was perfectly adjusted, naturally, as mine lay in a heap on the floor.

"Can't tie the bloody thing." I mumbled, leaning down to pick it up again. James held his hand out and I shoved the offending fabric onto his palm.

"What's actually the matter?" James questioned conversationally, untangling the rumpled tie.

"I think you know."

"Our plan is flawless." James reasoned, looking up at me. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.

"They're too smart." I said logically, taking the untangled tie from James and throwing it over my head.

"Yes, I realize they're both very intelligent, but we have the element of surprise on our side."

"The element of surprise? James, Lily has known us long enough to expect some kind of prank from us, she's not going to be surprised in the least."

"She doesn't expect it from me, at least not anymore. I'm head boy, yeah?"

"I don't think she's under any delusions of you changing."

"Ouch." James said, putting a hand on his chest, feigning injury. "Think of it like this…there's two ways this could go. They could fall for it, and then stay with us, or they hate us at the end of the night."

"Comforting, Potter, that's wonderful."

"Hey, weren't you just saying the other day that maybe you and Hermione could have something?"

I considered the question, tucking the tail of the tie into my jacket. Sure, Hermione and I had been spending a lot of time together. We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and her occlumency lessons were still happening a few times a week. Still, though, that didn't really mean anything, did it? And there was the tiny snag that she was from the future, and could be abruptly pulled back at any time.

"I don't know, James. I thought so. But who knows, really?"

"Well…we might, if tonight goes smoothly."

"That's a pretty big _if_, mate."

* * *

><p>"Teeth check!" Lily commanded, baring all her teeth for inspection. I looked closely.<p>

"Nothing, you're good." I said, smiling slightly. I could tell she was nervous. Whether if it was the dance, or the fact that she had to dance with James, who knew. I tended to think it was the latter.

Lily handed me my dress. We had already done our makeup, part of it in Hogsmeade, and then touch ups when we arrived back at school. The only thing left to do was get dressed.

I carefully slid the green dress from the hanger, holding it out in front of me. It was beautiful, made of silk and falling straight to the ground. It was one shouldered, gathering slightly around the chest. It was the most gorgeous gown I'd ever had.

I turned away from Lily, dropping my robe in the process. I carefully stepped into the dress and gently pulled it up, sliding one arm through the sleeve. Reaching behind me, I pulled the zipper as high as I was able, before turning back around to face Lily.

"Zip me up?" we both said in unison, before breaking into giggles over our jinx. I turned around and Lily pulled the zipper up to the top, while I readjusted the front. After I had zipped the back of her dress, we both turned to look in the mirror.

"Wow, we look hot." Lily said bluntly, causing me to break into giggles again. Her dress was strapless and white, with gold details. It fully suited the costume of a Greek goddess, while the green color of mine illustrated the Morgana that was often depicted in paintings.

"Finishing touch!" Lily said, clapping her hands together and reaching towards her bed. She produced two masks, one for each of us. Lily had explained in Hogsmeade that the point of the Halloween Ball was not to dress up in insane costumes, but rather to get as fancy as possible; as long as you had a mask on, that was as Halloween-y that you had to go. The boys wore suits, the girls wore dresses, and that was completely acceptable.

"Excited to dance with James?" I asked innocently. Lily rolled her eyes.

"If Potter can manage to keep his hands to himself, I guess it won't be all bad." She said, fluffing her hair under the string of her mask. I smiled slightly,

"What about you? Looking forward to seeing Black in a tux?" She teased. My face immediately flushed.

"Well, I think we can both admit that Sirius is attractive." I said slowly, to which Lily nodded.

"Obviously."

"And so is James…"

Lily scrunched her nose. "If you say so…"

"So seeing them in suits…It should prove to be, uh…pleasing?"

Lily huffed, sitting down on the bed. "I guess you're right. Potter drives me nuts, but there's something about a guy in a suit that makes you forget all the bad things." She glanced down. "Shit, we have to go, it's almost seven!"

* * *

><p>"Where the fuck are they?" James hissed, looking around. I rolled my eyes slightly. James was even more into this plan that I was.<p>

"I'm sure they're coming James." He still looked concerned. I sighed. "Listen, mate, what gender are they?"

He looked confused. "Female?" He phrased it as a question.

"There's really no question, but fair enough. Okay, next. What pain do females always put us through?"

"Being on their periods when we want a good shag?"

I rolled my eyes again. "No, you idiot. WAITING. They make us WAIT! Now, if we can connect the dots, Hermione and Lily are both females, and enjoy making us wait."

"Yeah, but Sirius, they don't even know that we have a plan for them, so technically, they're not making us wait."

"Will you shut – holy fuck, James, turn around." In the middle of our arguing, the aforementioned girls had finally arrived, and were descending the staircase.

"Pick up your jaw." James hissed through his teeth. I gulped, closing my mouth. Hermione and Lily were always beautiful, but tonight…

Lily looked amazing, but rejecting redheads had always been James's thing. But Hermione…she looked other-worldly. I didn't know what she was supposed to be (Hogwarts students rarely dressed in real costumes), but whatever it was, it suited her tremendously. The green complimented her tan skin flawlessly, and I couldn't help but notice the gathering of the fabric on her torso...it perfectly accentuated her breasts.

I'm a guy. We notice these things.

"Fucking shit." James said, still through his teeth. "These pants do nothing to hide…uh…problems."

"Think of Dumbledore." I whispered. James coughed.

"Gross!"

"Exactly."

* * *

><p>"They're staring."<p>

"Let them stare, they're not touching." Lily said, smiling as we both walked down the stairs. We had just spotted James and Sirius; both were looking dashing in their suits. They too were wearing masks, but it was obviously them; James's hair was still a wreck underneath the mask strings.

But Sirius…Sirius looked amazing. His hair was calmed, falling slightly into his face, pronouncing the chiseled quality of his features even more. He looked impeccable in his suit, somehow managing to look both elegant and daring at the same time.

"Now you're staring." Lily commented, watching me with a raised eyebrow. My face flushed.

"They look good."

"You mean Black looks good."

"Well, yes, but so does James."

Lily sniffed. "I suppose."

I laughed, moving my eyes off Sirius to look at James. He too looked handsome in his suit, but while Sirius looked dashing, James looked slightly goofy. The pair of them, though…. easily the two best looking guys at Hogwarts.

We reached the bottom of the stairs. James snapped out of his reverie first, coming to stand in front of Lily. He took her hand in his, and kissed it, smirking slightly. Lily seemed at a loss for words.

"My lady, I believe we have a ball to open." He said smoothly, offering her his arm. She looked at me, still mute, and stuck her arm into the crook of his elbow, allowing him to guide her away. I laughed slightly, rolling my eyes.

"Impossible, aren't they?" Sirius asked, putting his hands in his pockets. He looked even better up close.

"Uh…yes, they are." I said, recovering quickly. Sirius smiled, and my stomach dropped. 'Stop it, Hermione.' I scolded myself. 'You have a boyfriend!'

"May I escort you into the Hall?" Sirius asked, taking his hands out of his pockets and offering me his arm. I smiled, my face flushing, and took his arm.

"Thank you," I said, avoiding eye contact.

"If it's not overstepping, you look beautiful." He said honestly. My face became (if possible), redder.

"Thank you," I repeated. "You look very handsome yourself."

"Ah, thank you. If I had known you were wearing green, I would have matched my tie!"

"That would imply that we were dates, Mr. Black." I said teasingly, cursing my own flirting. I have a boyfriend!

"Who said we aren't?"

"I don't recall you asking me, or me accepting." I fired back. Sirius stopped, moving to stand in front of me. He placed both his hands on my shoulders.

"Oblige me, then, to be my date for the evening." He said seriously, his eyes boring into mine. I gulped. I have a boyfriend. 'Not in this time period', the nagging voice in the back of my head responded. I bit my lip.

"Of course," I said. I couldn't help myself one bit. Sirius's face broke out into a smile, and so did mine. If I was going to be in this time period, I might as well embrace and enjoy it.

In front of us, James turned around, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sirius give him a thumbs up. Well, that was suspicious. But they were the marauders, everything they did was suspicious.

"What are you two plotting?" I asked, and the smile dropped off of his face.

"What makes you think we're plotting anything?" I gave him an 'are you serious' look, and he smirked. "Ah, yes, the infamous reputation! Well, if you must know, James over there is trying to be on his best behavior to somehow convince Lily to go on a proper date with him."

"She'll accept." I said immediately, looking at the two of them ahead of me. "And…you?" I said, before I could stop myself.

"Uh…" Sirius started. "I don't have a plan…"

"I call bullshit."

Sirius hesitated. "Okay…if you must know…James's goal was to get Lily to like him, and mine was to get you to go to ball with me."

"But I already agreed." I said slowly. Sirius nodded.

"Mission accomplished."

"There was nothing else?" I prompted. Sirius blushed.

"There was…but I don't know if it's going to happen."

"Why?"

"I don't know if you'll agree."

"Try me."

"Later, I will."

* * *

><p>It had been two hours. Hermione was still by my side…she hadn't left all night. James and Lily had stumbled through their waltz, and while Lily was mad about messing up at first, James started hysterically laughing and creating his own moves halfway through, which prompted Lily to do the same, and by the end, the two heads were madly giggling in the middle of the hall, much to the confusion of everyone around. They had then disappeared off into some hallway. Hermione had smiled, and then muttered "sexual tension" under her breath, which made me laugh.<p>

There was something about her. The things is, I'm pretty awesome with the female kind. I can do things in the bedroom you've never seen, and I've had my fair share of girls. I have the reputation of the ladies man because I just LOVE the ladies. I never get nervous.

Except with Hermione.

She has a cool confidence about her (except when I asked her to the ball…interesting), and even though she's under tremendous stress from the time travel business, she always seems so together. And that's driving me absolutely mad for her, and I don't think she has any idea.

And when she asked me about the other part of my plan – yikes! The other part of my plan is to kiss her, but she doesn't need to know that ahead of time!

Which brought me back to my current situation. We had danced, we had talked, we had food and punch…and we had a great time. But the ball was drawing to a close; most of the younger students had already gone to bed, Frank Longbottom had gotten kicked out for putting firewhiskey in the punch (Alice screamed at him all the way upstairs), and most of the staff were starting to clean up. This all meant that time was running out. Time to be romantic.

"Hermione, do you want to go for a walk?"

She looked at me, smiling slightly. "Of course," she said, standing up. "Lead the way."

I put my hand on the small of her back and guided her towards the entrance to the Hall. Instead of heading towards the stairs that led to Gryffindor tower, we walked instead towards the courtyard. We were silent until we reached the door to the courtyard, which luckily, was still open.

"Wow," Hermione said quietly, looking up at the sky. I followed her lead, and was met by an onslaught of stars. There was hardly any dark sky to be found. "It's beautiful." She whispered.

"Not as beautiful as you are," I said quietly, and even in the dark, I could still make out her blush.

"Don't." she said, her voice quivering slightly.

"Don't what?" I asked, extremely confused.

"Don't make me like you."

"But I want you to like me." The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

"Why? I could disappear tomorrow." Her voice was bitter.

"I know, but honestly, any of us could die tomorrow. What's the use of not doing something you want to do because you're afraid of something bad happening?" I said earnestly, taking her hand in mine. She didn't pull back.

"That's all true, but Sirius, I have a boyfriend. I told you that."

"He probably hasn't been born yet." I argued. She looked at me sideways.

"Not the point."

"Exactly the point, Hermione! Everything you left, it doesn't matter here. You may never go back!" As soon as I said it, I wished I could take it back. "I'm sorry Hermione," I said squeezing her hand. "I didn't mean to say that."

"No," she said, a tear in her eye. "You're right. I may not go back. And that makes it so hard to do or not do things here. I could alter the course of history."

I was silent. I didn't want to press her to reveal any information. "Aside from all of that, all the time travel, and the consequences…let's just pretend, for a moment, that you're just a girl and I'm just a boy, and we're out here, under the stars. We've just had a great ball, I'm pretty sure our best friends are snogging in a broom cupboard, and I like you, and you're trying not to like me. What happens now?"

Hermione bit her lip. "You like me?"

I sighed. "Yes, I have for awhile…really, since you told me about the time travel. I…I couldn't help but look at everything you do every day and admire your strength and courage…it's something I couldn't do."

She smiled, turning more towards me. "You asked what happens now." She said slowly, putting her hand on my knee. "I think I'm going to kiss you now."

"Remember when you were trying to guess the second part of my plan?" I questioned, trying to keep my heart rate steady. "That was it, I was supposed to kiss you."

She smirked, leaning towards me. "Ah, Black, looks like I beat you." And with that, she leaned in, pressing her lips to mine.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks guys! and sorry again for the wait! leave me a nice review, and I promise, another update will come soon :) <strong>


	9. Chapter 7: Doubt

**Hello everyone! Sorry this took me so long to get up, I had a lot going on, but I'm finally back in the States, so the excitement is down to a bare minimum! Happy New Year to everyone! **

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><p>Chapter 7: Doubt<p>

What on earth possessed me to kiss Sirius Black, I'm not sure. All I knew was that he tasted like the punch at the ball – bubbly and sweet, and I was experiencing a sense of euphoria that I had not yet felt in the 1970s. It was as if I was on another planet.

Come to think of it, I was sort of on another planet. A planet where I should not, under any circumstances, get involved with anyone. Especially not someone I knew in the future. _Especially not Sirius Black. _

Which was why, with deepest regret, I pulled away from the aforementioned male. His eyebrows furrowed, his lips still pursed from kissing.

"What's wrong?" he asked, pushing a piece of hair behind my ear. He looked so vulnerable; it brought a prick of tears to my eyes.

"Sirius," I said gently. "You know that this can't happen."

"I know that," he said quietly, surprising me with his agreement. "It's hard, Hermione, it really is…to walk around with you and pretend like I don't feel anything for you."

"But why?" I asked, my tone taking on frustration.

"Because you're from the future, and – "

"No, Black." I said harshly, pulling my hand off of his thigh. "Why do you feel anything for me?"

There it was; I had finally asked it. This was the question I had wondered, ever since I had first realized that he may have feelings for me. The question had intensified when Lily told me about Sirius's intentions at the ball, and come to a climax when he had said so himself.

The thing was, I knew I wasn't the biggest catch. Sure, I was smart, and not completely heinous to look at, but I had always had Ron. Ronald and I…we were something that the muggles would put in a film in the cinema. We were the ever-fighting friends: we started off not particularly caring for each other, grew to be friends, bickered constantly, and in the heat of battle, realized our true feelings for each other. It was the stuff of a cheesy romantic comedy, and yet, it was perfect for us. I had never questioned why Ron and I were perfect for each other; we were never perfect people, we were never overly appealing to others, we simply fit. I could never see myself with anyone other than Ron. But Ron had never had the sudden realization that he was in love with me, it had just _happened. _

"Hermione, why wouldn't I feel something for you?"

I stood up, agitated at his answer. "That doesn't answer my question," I snapped irritably. "I come here, literally pop out of the ground one day. I'm not a supermodel, I'm nothing special, and you know for certain that I'm not guaranteed to last in this time, that one day, I could just pop back into the ground. And yet, here you are, sitting out here kissing me and telling me you have feelings for me. So I'll ask again, why?"

"First of all," Sirius said, holding up a finger. "You may not be a supermodel, honestly you're a little short for that, but I can safely say that myself and the rest of Hogwarts think that you're far from 'nothing special' as you put it. You're beautiful, Hermione, and I think that you should be able to realize that." I scoffed, looking at the ground. This was not helping the whole 'don't have a crush on Sirius Black thing'. "Secondly, I realize that you could just be gone one day, and I know that would be crushing for more than just myself. But honestly, I'm in too deep now…if you were to disappear tomorrow, I would be devastated."

"This never should have happened." I said quietly. "I never should have become friends with anyone, never should have gotten _close_ to any of you. I knew when I got here, when I saw you all that this would only end badly. That goes for me too. If I disappeared tomorrow, of course I would have my friends that I'm going back to, but don't you think I'd miss you guys too?"

"At least you can see us in the future," Sirius reasoned, to which I froze. "We'd have to wait ages to see you again."

"You really can't have feelings for me," I reasoned, steering the conversation back to the present. I didn't need to think that in my time, Remus was the only marauder left.

"And why not?" Sirius asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"It hasn't been long enough! It took me and Ron nearly 8 years to realize we were in love with each other, and – "

"Oh that's the bloke's name, Ron, is it?" Sirius asked. I could not stop the strange fluttering in my stomach when I realized his tone was extremely jealous.

"Yes," I said, sighing slightly. "We met on the train first year. It took us awhile to become friends, and things sort of just…progressed from there."

"Can I ask you something and can you promise not to get offended?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I promise nothing, but ask away."

"Okay," Sirius said, taking a deep breath. "Do you think if you met Ron when you were 17, do you think you'd be in love with him? Or do you think you only fell into a relationship with him because it was…well… convenient?"

I stiffened. "Hermione, I'm sorry, no don't get mad at me, maybe convenient is the wrong word…"

"How dare you?" I hissed, stepping away from Sirius. "You don't know anything that we went through, anything we saw together, or, or…or anything at all, Sirius Black! Ron and I have 8 years of history together, you and I have known each other for two months, and you think you can just barge into my life and tell me that you have feelings for me, and then have the gall to ask me if my relationship is just for sake of convenience?"

"In all fairness, Hermione, you barged into my life. And don't think this is normal for me!" In his haste to respond, Sirius stood up as well. "I'll have you know that I am the absolute ladies man of Hogwarts and normally, I would never even think of liking someone! Now it's not something I'm proud of – " he said defensively, noticing my rolling eyes. "but it's just how it was. And now, here you come, out of nowhere, making me have feelings for you and then telling me I'm overstepping."

"You just asked me if my boyfriend, who I have loved for over five years, is just out of convenience!"

"It's a fair question! You kissed me tonight, remember? I don't think you would have done that if there wasn't something missing!"

"I think you're forgetting, Sirius, that these aren't normal circumstances." I said coldly. "There is something I'm missing, and it's my entire normal life. I seem to have left it in the future. My emotions are all over the place and I don't have the time, patience, or space to try to navigate a relationship with you, as it is, I already have a boy-" I never got to finish, because Sirius Black had pinned me against the stone wall and occupied my lips with his own.

At first, I tried to fight him off. When it was clear that he wasn't going to back down (and also, that I didn't really want to stop), I mentally shrugged and threw my arms around his torso, pulling his body closer to mine. Sirius Black was a fantastic kisser, there was no denying, and the way his lips moved against mine was setting my body on fire.

I felt his tongue on my teeth and without thinking, I parted them, allowing him to deepen our already intense kiss. This was…electrifying. I was dizzy, sweating, and altogether blissful. It was as if someone had wiped my memory clean, I had no thoughts other than Sirius, his mouth and his body, all of which were doing a number on myself.

This time, he pulled away from me. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, stepping back as though burned. My lips were swollen, my hair was tangled, and my thoughts were all over the place.

"I think you should go," I said quietly, and he nodded, opening his mouth as if to say something. He seemed to think better of it, though, and without a word, turned around.

I took a deep breath, letting the air back out of my lungs slowly. What if Sirius was right? Of course I loved Ron, but what if it was only out of convenience? What if I was settling because he was the most logical choice?

And the other question – if I had met Ron as I had met Sirius, would I feel the same? Of course I wouldn't – Ron was frustrating, and he was obnoxious, and I knew everything about him from our years of friendship. I had 8 years worth of knowing Ron, and I loved him because of those years. With Sirius, I had two months.

I asked Sirius how he could possibly have feelings for me after only knowing me for two months, but truth be told, I had the same feelings for him. I didn't love him, but after tonight…I knew that I could. My soul itself felt as though it was on fire.

But with Ron – there was passion, and there was romance. We had sex regularly, and it was wonderful. But Ron…aside from the beginning…Ron had never made me feel how I had felt with Sirius. Could it be possible that my relationship with Ron had already run its course? That years and years of longing that had finally led to a relationship could be ruined in one night because of a kiss from Sirius Black?

There was the nagging thought that always came back: _Hermione, you could disappear tomorrow._ Right. It was better to stick with Ron.

* * *

><p>"HERMIONE!" Lily screamed as I entered the dormitory.<p>

"Lily Evans, shut the fuck up." Alice said bluntly from her bunk. She clearly was still in a bad mood from Frank's shenanigans at the ball.

"Hi Lily," I whispered, tripping my way through the dark to her bed. "What's got you all excited?"

"James Potter!" she exclaimed in a screaming whisper, and I couldn't help but let my face light up in excitement. My love life may be a wreck, but at least Lily's was falling into place.

"What happened?"

"Well, you know we danced at the ball, and we ended up leaving. We walked around the castle for hours, just talking, and I realized that all this time that I've been hating him, I've really had feelings for him."

"How did you – " she cut me off before I could finish.

"Because, Hermione, I realized that I was just preventing my own happiness. I started off not liking James because I thought him and Sirius were immature, which I guess they still are – " Lily paused, looking thoughtful. "But then I realized that over time, I've grown to care for him, I just was so used to hating him that it just came out naturally. Potter has grown up, and I think it took seeing him as head boy to realize it."

"Three cheers for Dumbledore then, yeah?" I joked, and Lily giggled, falling back into her pillows in delight.

"What about you and Sirius?" she asked, zooming back to sitting position just as quickly.

"We…uh…we kissed. And fought."

"Those don't sound like they go together." Lily frowned.

"I just, I have a boyfriend. And I can't risk the last eight years of my life for Sirius."

"Do you have feelings for Sirius?"

I hesitated. "So you do," Lily said, to which I rolled my eyes. "And you obviously have feelings for..."

"Ron," I supplied. "And yes, I do, I love Ron."

"You don't love Sirius." I shook my head. "But could you?"

Again, I hesitated. "I will again take your silence for a yes."

"But what am I supposed to do?" I asked, throwing my hands up. "Give up on the fact that Ron and I are finally together after years of just being friends, just to be with someone who might not even last?"

"Do you ever think you're just with Ron because it was the most logical thing to do?"

"Well if that isn't the winning question of the night, I'm not sure what is." I mumbled.

"Think about it, Hermione. You're smart, you're calculating, you think things through. You're kind of like me in that way. You would look at Ron as the most logical and thought out plan you could ever have, right?" I nodded slowly. "Am I correct that you rarely do anything not in the plans?" Again, I nodded. "Right, well maybe you're having feelings for Sirius because it's not in the plans. Maybe you've finally outgrown the stage in your life where you need everything to be well thought out and calculated, and your mind wants something new."

Her analysis hit me straight in the gut. For years, myself, Ron and Harry had been the ultimate in plans. The Dark Lord had been a major part of our lives since we were 14, and I think that deep down, we all started to make arrangements in our own minds. We figured out what we needed to do, what we would do if one of our friends died, and what we would do if _we died._ I know that I wasn't the only one to come up with a detailed plan of what others were to do if I didn't make it in the final battle; I had even modified my own parent's memories, just in case.

Lily's ideas made sense. When the smoke cleared after the Battle of Hogwarts, there was Ron. There had always been Ron, and it was just part of the plan to get together. It was logical. Safe. Comforting. A kiss in the midst of a battle that we both assumed we might not make it out of…what if that kiss was not destined to lead to a relationship? Though no time had passed at home, if I had spent the last two months of my life in the 1990s, would Ron and I even be together? Maybe Lily and Sirius were right, and Ron was too ordinary… too normal.

Maybe now…maybe now I needed something out of the ordinary. After all, I was out of the ordinary; in a new place with new people. Lily's own admission rang through my brain: "I was preventing my own happiness." Surely I wasn't doing the same?

"Right, well you think on that, and I'll see you in the morning." Lily, said, and I nodded, still too mute to process. I silently rose from Lily's bed and made my way to my own, still thinking.

If I was stuck here, why not try things a little differently?

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><p><strong>Well, there you have it. Hermione seems to have possibly made up her mind! I had to find some way for her to realize that what she had with Ron back in the 1990s may not be all she thought it was (don't get me wrong, in canon, I LOVE RonHermione). So the relationship between Sirius and Hermione will definitely be speeding up in the next few chapters. I have a lot of plans! Leave me a review below and I'll get working on the next chapter ASAP! **

**-Brittany**


	10. Chapter 8: Spontaneity

**Hello everyone! I was really excited about this chapter, so I rushed right ahead and wrote it. The POV switches in the middle – should be pretty obvious. Hope everyone enjoys it! **

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><p>Chapter 8<p>

"Whatever man, I don't know, maybe she's just a slut."

"You don't really think that she's a slut, Sirius, you're just mad and you want an excuse."

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. James was right. I had gone to him after the disastrous ending to the ball and told him everything. In return, instead of joining my pity party, he had proceeded to tell me all about how "everything was perfect" with Lily, succeeding only in deepening my bad mood. In addition to that, his ridiculous smile would not leave his face.

"James, I'm going to be happy for you tomorrow, mate, I just can't right now. I had a really great feeling about Hermione. You know I don't get great feelings about girls other than about sleeping with them. I'm just really bummed out that it's not going to work."

"You don't know that," James reasoned, the smile finally dropping off of his face. "I had a really good feeling about Hermione too, Sirius, I really thought she was going to be something for you…maybe she still will be, you never know."

"No, I'm pretty sure she hates me," I said bitterly, standing up off my bed.

"Where are you going?" James questioned, standing up as well. I shrugged.

"To take a walk, I guess." I mumbled, brushing past him to the stairs. I took the stairs slowly, letting out a gust of breath with each step. It was all water under the bridge, right? Sure, maybe I liked Hermione _now _but who knew, really? Maybe if she had been willing, we would have started dating and that could have led to the horrible realization that she was a closet freak or something. Maybe it was better to not like her anymore…it was like an omen from the Gods.

"Well you're up late,"

At the sound of a voice, I jumped nearly three feet into the air, falling against the wall with a painful crack. My heart was hammering, and my gaze drifted to the armchair next to the fireplace. The voice had been Hermione's.

"Do you get some kind of joy in turning a guy down and then scaring him half to death?" I asked sarcastically, clutching my chest. She laughed. She actually laughed. Like I was kidding.

"Don't be so dramatic, Sirius." She said, a trace of giggling still in her tone. I stood up straight, clearing my throat.

"Right," I started, moving towards the door. "Well I'm just going to go…"

"Where are you off to?" She questioned, standing up and moving towards me. I instinctively moved backwards. "It's awfully late, you know."

"I know that, Hermione." I said. "What are you doing up? Looking for ways to get back to the future to your precious boyfriend?" It was mean, I knew. But I was still wounded from the rejection.

"Geez, Sirius, you're not too pleasant after not getting your way, are you?" She deadpanned, and I was taken aback. Was she actually not mad about my comment?

"No, not really," I said bluntly, and a smile broke across her face. "What on earth are you smiling about?"

"Well it's just funny that you're down here," she said casually, leaning against the back of the armchair. I copied her, leaning against the wall.

"And why would that be funny?" I asked, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Because, I was just about to come up to your room to talk to you."

I blinked. That was not the answer I had been expecting. "Why?" I managed to croak out. Hermione shrugged.

"I was planning on kissing you."

Definitely not what I was expecting.

"To then what? Just leave again after debating the validity of your relationship with me?" I asked harshly. Yes, definitely still very wounded.

"No, I was going to ask you if maybe you'd like to go out with me sometime."

"Doesn't that 100% trump what you were saying before? Why on earth would you want to go out with me when you have a boyfriend already?"

"I was thinking upstairs," Hermione started. I rolled my eyes skyward. What a shock that Hermione had been _thinking._ "And I talked to Lily. Maybe you two have a point about Ron and me. We went through a lot together. We had always had each other. And in the back of my mind, when everything was said and done, he was there, and I was there for him. It just fit. It just worked. And it never crossed my mind that there was any other option. And then I end up here, and you're here, and you're really frustrating and you're kissing me with this passion that I don't even know if I've ever felt with Ron and I can't help but think that maybe…maybe I was supposed to come here all along. Maybe it was never for any higher purpose. Maybe it was just because I needed to find you."

I was stunned into silence, so Hermione kept talking. "And you know, maybe I wasn't meant to be with you at all, but dammit, I might be gone tomorrow or I could never leave. I just don't know. And not knowing things is not something I enjoy – " My silence broke at this and I let out a laugh, knowing full well that Hermione liked to know every single fact and detail. "…but it might be something that I have to live with. And if I'm stuck here, I want to be happy, and Sirius…you make me happy." She stopped, biting her lip. "So…would you? I mean, want to go out with me sometime?"

I smiled easily, pushing myself off of the wall. I walked to her, pushing her further into the back of the armchair with my body. "I would want to go anywhere with you." I said, a small smirk taking over my lips. "But what I would love to do now is kiss you."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "So do it," she challenged.

And so I did.

* * *

><p>"Are they…together?"<p>

"Please, have you ever known Sirius Black to settle down to just one girl?"

"Who the hell is she? I don't think I've ever seen her before."

"She's that new girl, the one that transferred this year…really strange if you ask me."

I bit my lip, rolling my eyes slightly, my grip tight on Sirius's hand. This was our "coming out party"…or at least that's what I had been calling it in my head. After last night – the night where I had metaphorically said "what the hell" and gone for it – Sirius and I had decided that though we weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend, we could act like it.

Which was why everyone was whispering and staring, and even going as far as to point at us. Yes, I Hermione Granger was walking into the great hall for breakfast, holding Sirius Black's hand.

It really wasn't that big of a deal, this I knew, but to everyone else at Hogwarts, it seemed that the school's biggest playboy had finally been swooped off the market.

This meant a lot of things for the students. For the boys, it was a sigh of relief – they not longer had to worry about their girlfriends leaving them to sleep with Sirius. For the girls, it was horrible – they could no longer sleep with Sirius, or leave their boyfriends to do so.

For me, it was amazing.

I felt a giddy sense of excitement that I had never felt before, not even with Ron. With him, everyone – from professors to the Weasleys – had assumed that we were going to get together, so the first time we walked into a room holding hands, no one really noticed. With Sirius, the reaction was exactly the opposite.

When we got to the Gryffindor table, everyone had a different expression. Lily was beaming – she was obviously happy for me, and secretly congratulating herself for giving the sound advice. James looked very confused – Sirius had told me that the last time he had talked to James he had been ranting about how much he hated me. Remus looked vaguely happy and not that surprised, and Peter, well…Peter looked uninterested.

"Well, hello!" Lily said, stilling smiling ear to ear. She and James were holding hands under the table.

"Well, hello to you, too." I said, raising and eyebrow and indicating their intertwined fingers with my free hand. Lily blushed, and James raised his other hand in triumph.

"It only took six years!" he said happily, running a hand through his already messy hair. Lily's face flushed and she stuttered for an answer.

"All good things come to those who wait, Potter," She said smartly, and I gave her a thumbs up.

"So how about you two?" James asked, eyeing our hands. Now it was my turn to blush.

"Ah, yes, well, good things also come to those spontaneously." I said quickly, glancing at Sirius, who was smiling down at me. We finally took a seat, helping ourselves to breakfast. Once we had our food, we copied James and Lily, holding each other's hands under the table.

"Well, Peter, the time has come for us to find girlfriends," Remus said, squinting around the great hall. "Slim pickings." Peter laughed, stuffing more food into his mouth.

"Hermione," a voice next to me said, and I twisted in my seat, dropping Sirius's hand when I noticed Professor McGonagall standing behind me.

"Yes, Professor?" I questioned warily, noticing her stern expression.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office after breakfast."

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><p><strong>Dun dun dun… I don't think Dumbledore is going to be very happy about Hermione starting to date Sirius and altering the course of history, do you? Leave me a review, and I'll start working on that confrontation!<strong>

**-Brittany**


	11. Chapter 9: Questions

**Hello readers! Sorry this update took about a week, but without further ado, the big DUMBLEDORE CONFRONTATION! **

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><p>Chapter 9<p>

Every profanity I had ever heard ran through my head as I made my way to Dumbledore's office. I complained to him when I first arrived about how miserable I was in the 1970s with people like Sirius, and now I was finally feeling happy being with Sirius and Dumbledore wanted to punish me for it? How cruel could he get?

"It's about the time thing, isn't it?" Sirius whispered. I looked to my left, where my boyfriend (it even sounded crazy in my head) was stiffly walking beside me. He was accompanying me to Dumbledore's office, and his hand in mine was sweaty and shaking.

"I'm sure it is," I sighed. "He doesn't want anything I do here to affect things in the future."

"I mean…I guess that's understandable." Sirius grumbled, and I smiled slightly at his obvious annoyance that Dumbledore may have a point. "I just don't want him to talk you into not being with me."

"Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to talk me into that." I said quietly, and Sirius gave my hand a squeeze. "Unless he's found a way to send me back, I'm stuck here, and he just has to trust me with that."

"You don't really think he's found a way to send you back, do you?" Sirius asked, coming abruptly to a halt.

"No, Sirius, I don't believe he has." I said firmly, putting my free hand on his arm. "But listen, if he has, you were fine before I got here, and you'll be fine when I leave!"

"No, Hermione, no, that's not true." Sirius said, shaking his head. "I realize we may have only been together for a few hours, but I have known for weeks that I had feelings for you. I knew the moment I saw you two months ago that there was going to be something different with you, I knew it then and I know it now. And I won't let anyone take you away from me."

"Sirius…you know I feel the same about you," I said slowly. "But I was transported back here suddenly and without warning. The same thing could happen again and…you really need to be prepared for that to happen."

"I know, I know…I just…I don't want the thought of you suddenly leaving to be hanging over us all the time."

"Let's just pretend that we're a completely normal couple, born in the same time and both living in the correct time, okay?" I questioned, and Sirius nodded. "Okay, now I have to go see Dumbledore."

"I'll wait here," Sirius said, leaning against the wall. He grinned, pulling me by the hand towards him. "I'll miss you," he breathed, pushing his nose against mine.

"I won't be long," I promised, closing the distance between his lips and mine. I stepped away from his hold, muttering the password to Dumbledore's office door. The eagle shifted and stairs appeared. I took a deep breath, raised my hand in a half wave to Sirius, and mounted the staircase.

When I reached the top, I was surprised to find Dumbledore waiting for me already. He was sitting at his desk, reading a book. Fawkes was on his perch, in all his glory. I smiled at the sight, and then abruptly frowned when I remembered the lament of the phoenix after his owner's death. The thought of Albus Dumbledore's funeral brought a lump to my throat, and I tried to swallow it down. I had to focus on the present.

"Hello, Professor, you wanted to see me?" I said tentatively, walking closer to the desk.

He looked up, peering over his spectacles. "Yes, Ms. Granger, I believe we have much to discuss. Have a seat," he said, indicating the chair in front of his desk. I nodded in understanding, moving to the chair and taking a seat.

"You have lessons to attend, and I don't want to keep you or Mr. Black from your lessons. Yes, I know he's waiting downstairs for you," Professor Dumbledore answered my unasked question with a raised eyebrow. "Speaking of Mr. Black, he happens to be the reason I called you here."

"I figured as much, Sir." I said quietly.

"Am I correct in my assessment that you two are now romantically involved?"

I bit my lip, looking at my lap. "Yes, Sir." I said, avoiding eye contact.

"Now, Ms. Granger, I thought you were the one that was concerned about changing events of the future?"

"I am, Sir, I still am concerned about that, I just – "

"You just allowed yourself to become vulnerable around Sirius Black, and you became enamored with him."

"Yes, Sir, I did, and I'm sorry – "

"I don't want you to apologize, Ms. Granger, I'm not angry with you."

"But Sir, I…you're not?" I finally looked up to see Professor Dumbledore with a half smile on his face.

"I am not angry with you. I am simply here to remind you that you have a duty to yourself, Mr. Black and the entire world to not change the course of history. I take it you know what happens to Sirius, James, and the rest of your classmates? You told me when you arrived that you knew them in the future."

I nodded. "I…well, I know some of them." I said, guessing it was safe to say that much.

"The same people who died must still die. The ones who go to the dark side must still do so, Ms. Granger, that is the law of time you have to abide by."

I gulped, lowering my eyes again. James and Lily…they were already friends of mine, and in a few short years, they were going to die. And Peter…he was going to betray them, causing Sirius to go to prison for the crime…He would have to wait twelve years to be redeemed. It all wasn't fair that I knew what would happen, and how to prevent it, but I could do nothing.

But then, there was something else. If Lily and James did not die, then Harry would grow up normally. But Harry hadn't known he was a wizard, or that he defeated Voldemort until he was eleven. And if James and Lily didn't die, then Harry wouldn't be famous, and he would never find and destroy Voldemort's horcruxes over the course of his school years. And that would mean that either Voldemort was never vanquished in 1981, or that he was killed an entirely different way. My head was spinning.

"Are you alright, Ms. Granger?"

I looked up to Professor Dumbledore again. "I was just thinking about all the different scenarios that would happen if I meddled." I admitted. "And I think…though it hurts, and people will die…I think that how it happened in my time is how it has to stay."

"It is, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said. "Can I ask you a very personal question?"

I nodded warily. Dumbledore leaned forward. "Do you know Sirius Black in the future? When you are this age, and he is older?"

"I thought I wasn't allowed to tell you anything about the future." I said slowly, to which Dumbledore nodded.

"I'm trying to puzzle something together, and maybe you can do it in your own head. I'm just wondering, that's all. See, here you are, dating Sirius in this time period. And in the future, that is, where you came from, Sirius is older and you are this age. But your dating, though it is NOW for you, would have been in the past for Sirius, so he would know you in your own time, before you recognized him. The present for you here and now would be the past for Sirius in your own time, does that make any sense?"

My head was spinning again, but I could see Dumbledore's point. Had there ever been any indication that Sirius had known me before? There was one night at Grimmauld Place in fifth year… Sirius, Remus and all the other adult members of the order had been drinking. Sirius had said it as a joke; Remus had been lamenting the full moon, and Sirius said "well at least you don't have a wife who doesn't remember you!". Remus had given him a look and then taken him upstairs, and Ginny and I had been leaving the dining area as well, and I heard Remus ask Sirius what had possessed him to say something when "she" was right there. Harry, Ron and I had talked about it after, wondering who "she" might be, and assumed that it had been drunken ramblings. The incident had been forgotten.

What if that "she" was me?

"It seems you have much to think about, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said wisely, a half smile still on his face. "Make sure Mr. Black gets to class, you'll both be on time if you hurry it along." I nodded mutely, standing up from my chair.

"Thank you, Professor." I said, still very deep in thought.

"Anytime, Ms. Granger."

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><p>"How did it go?" Sirius asked anxiously as I descended the stairs.<p>

"It went…well…" I said slowly. "Sirius, would you ever get married?"

He blinked. "To you? Or in general?"

"In general."

He shrugged. "I mean, yeah, of course. In a few years…I've always kind of expected that I would get married…why do you ask?"

I forced a smile onto my face. "Just wondering." I said, hooking my arm through his. "Dumbledore said I have to get you to class."

"Lead the way," he grinned, the strangeness of the conversation gone, off his radar. The marriage question was still very much in my head, though. Could it be possible that Sirius and I would get married? Sirius and Remus both had always seemed so…detached from feelings. I had never even stopped to consider that they may have had romances, or even marriages when they were younger. And I never, in a million years, would have thought it would have been to _me. _

It was an awful lot to think about.

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><p><strong>So! What do you all think? We already knew that Sirius and Hermione were going to get married, but now it seems that Hermione knows as well! The timeline is going to start picking up soon, and we have another interlude coming up in the next few chapters, this time with REMUS in the 1990s! and if anything sounded confusing, that was on purpose! Hermione herself is confused about everything so you get to be confused right along with her! <strong>

**Leave me a review! **

**Brittany **


	12. Chapter 10: Laugh

**Quick note – sorry this took about two weeks to get up, I just moved back into my college dorm and I'm finally settled and ready to write. This was one of my favorites to write – I got to put in a little bit of sex talk between Lily and Hermione (it's very similar to conversations I have with my best friend!) and it was a lot of fun to do. I had to throw a little curve at the end – I have major plans for the next chapter, and unfortunately, it's going to start to get sad! **

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><p>Chapter 10<p>

It had been a month since Sirius and I had gotten together, and what a blissful 30 days it was. I had never been so happy: not when I was a kid, not when I was with Ron, _never. _ This…this was amazing.

Of course, the world hadn't been that happy. Voldemort – it still disgusted and shocked me that I was once again in a world where he existed – he was taking over everywhere, recruiting people left and right. There had been several attacks on major wizarding areas, including one in Godric's Hollow, which had killed four people.

To Sirius and I, however, life was bliss. It was as if we lived in our own little bubble, and nothing outside mattered as long as we had each other. At night, we curled up in a single armchair, talking in hushed voices, laughing and of course, kissing. It was something that I had always rolled my eyes at – those couples that couldn't get enough of each other, but here I was, partaking in it. And loving every second.

Had it been long enough to be in love?

"What are you smiling about?" a voice murmured in my ear. I felt two strong arms wrap around my waist and I smiled even wider, placing my hands over his.

"Just happy." I said, turning my head to my right and smiling at my boyfriend. He winked, leaning forward to kiss me.

"I missed you," he admitted. He had been at quidditch practice for hours. "James was working us way too hard."

"Well I hope you're not too tired," I teased, twisting my body around to face him. He raised an eyebrow.

"Did you have a physical activity in mind?" he questioned, smirking. I felt my face turn red.

"No," I said nervously, stuttering slightly. "I just wanted to spend some time together."

"I should shower first," Sirius said, smelling himself and grimacing. Personally, I loved the sweaty smell he carried after quidditch; it was natural and slightly…arousing.

"If you must," I sighed. Sirius laughed, pressing his lips to mine again. He squeezed my waist, stepping to the side and grabbing my hand. We walked down the corridor to the Gryffindor common room, gave the password, and entered. We were met with the sight of Lily and James, snogging in an armchair.

"Hello, kids!" Sirius said cheerily. Neither looked up, though James raised a hand in greeting. "Rude," Sirius mumbled, and I laughed, following him to the stairs.

"I'll see you in a few," he said, kissing me again, lingering longer. When he pulled back, I could tell my face was red. He ran his knuckles over my cheek, smirking slightly, before turning up the stairs.

I turned up the stairs to the girl's dormitory, opening the door and throwing myself on the bed. Not only did I have very strong emotional feelings for Sirius, but my physical feelings for him were growing as well. That was something that myself and Ron were very active with; we had sex nearly every day. I think it was because we had both waited so long; we were both virgins when we got together, and once we discovered sex, neither of us wanted to stop doing it. I was used to that. And now… as far as hot guys in school go, Sirius is the hottest. Him being so hot and me not having sex for months were a deadly combination.

Right on cue, Lily walked in. "Hermione!" I turned onto my side, propping myself up with my arm. "Have you guys had sex yet?"

"You literally read my mind."

"You a virgin?"

"No, but I've only been with one guy. What about you?"

"I'm not, no, I slept with Amos Diggory last year." I raised an eyebrow. Amos Diggory was in our year, and was the spitting image of his future son Cedric. It was no wonder why Lily wanted to sleep with him. "We weren't dating or anything," Lily shrugged. "I don't know, it was just time to lose it, I guess."

"Plus, he's hot." I reasoned, and Lily giggled, flopping onto her own bed.

"Yes, there's that too…but when do you think that you guys will do it?"

I hesitated. "Well…clearly Sirius is no virgin." Lily shook her head vigorously. I laughed slightly. "So really…whenever. I have feelings for him…I guess I'd like to wait a little longer until I'm completely sure."

"That's how I feel too…there's always been a lot of sexual tension with James and I and now I'm physically ready to do it, but I think I want to wait until I know he really truly loves me, for me, you know? Not just an obsessive crush."

I nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean," I said slowly. "I feel like though if we were getting heated, that it would just happen."

"I feel the same. I wonder how big Sirius is?"

"I could probably ask half the school." I muttered, and Lily sighed, getting up off her bed and coming to sit next to me.

"You can't think like that. Sirius has a history, yes, but he's with you now, and that's something completely new for him. Those girls may have gotten his dick, but you have his heart, and that's what counts. Plus…hopefully you will also have his dick pretty soon." At that, I started laughing.

"What about James, how big is he I wonder." Lily's face turned bright red. "Lily Evans, have you seen it?"

If possible, her face got redder. "I may have," she said vaguely. I leaned forward, motioning for her to continue. "The other night…well we skipped second and went right to third."

It took a second for that to make sense, and my eyes widened. "You went down on him!?" I practically shouted, and Lily put a hand over my mouth, shushing me.

"Yes, yes, I did."

"How was it?" I breathed, my mouth still open.

"What the action, or his dick?"

"Both."

"The action was the same as it usually is…but since I've never done it with him, I tried and concentrated extra hard, so it was alright. He's…large… I gagged a few times." I squealed, covering my mouth with my hands. "But he certainly enjoyed it…the noises he was making…ugh it was great to hear, I was so proud of myself." Lily laughed, her face slightly red.

"Did he return the favor?" I asked, wondering how 'generous' James was.

"No…because he actually did it first."

At that, I practically choked. "Are you serious?" I screamed, and she shushed me again. "That never happens, does it?"

Lily shook her head. "He said, and I quote 'there's something I really want to do' and he just went for it!"

"Did you…you know…" I blushed, not wanting to finish my question.

"If you're asking what I think you're asking, then yes. It was…fantastic…I still can't even believe how good it was."

I covered my mouth, giggling loudly. "I'm so happy for you!"

"I take it you guys haven't?"

I shook my head. "Soon, though, I think…it's something I want to do."

"To him, or have it done to you?" Lily teased.

"Well, obviously the latter more, but I'm curious about to him…it should be…enlightening."

"Hermione Granger you must be the first person to describe a blowjob as 'enlightening'!" She threw a pillow at me and I fell back onto the bed, laughing until I cried. I had never had a girlfriend this close during school, and having the time with Lily to just be a teenage girl and gossip was one of the best things I had ever experienced.

Once our laughter had died down, I sat up, wiping my eyes. "Want to head down to the common room?" I asked. It was almost dinnertime. Lily nodded, checking her makeup in the mirror.

"I haven't laughed that hard in ages," she admitted, and I smiled, hooking my arm through hers.

"I feel like we're going to have even more to talk about soon!" I said, to which Lily laughed again. When we rounded the corner of the staircase, we caught sight of James and Sirius, who seemed to be waiting for us.

"Ladies, question." Sirius said smoothly, embracing me as I skipped into his arms.

"Yes?" I asked expectantly.

"Do you compare stories and talk about us when we're not there?" I stifled a laugh, chancing a glance at Lily. When my eyes met hers, I couldn't contain it, and we both burst into laughter.

"I'm going to take that as a solid yes," Sirius said, looking at James, who shrugged.

"I told you," James said, kissing Lily on the top of the head. She smiled at him, reaching up to kiss him on the lips.

"Dinner?" Lily questioned, to which we all nodded.

"Remus, Peter!" Sirius shouted into the common room, where the two marauders were sitting playing Gobstones.

"What do you want?" Remus called back, clearly annoyed.

"You losing, Moony?" James teased. Remus gave him the finger, and we all laughed.

"We'll meet you down there!" Peter said, his excited tone vastly different from Remus's.

We continued our walk to the common room door. I laced my fingers with Sirius's and he smiled, leaning down to kiss me on the temple. Lily and James were in front of us, also holding hands. It was truly bliss.

As we reached the portrait hole, it opened, and Professor McGonagall stepped through. "Mr. Potter," she said gently. The smile dropped off my face. I had heard that tone before. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, guys! Leave me a review, and I promise a new chapter will be up in the next week! -Brittany<strong>


	13. Chapter 11: Loss

**Hi everybody! Hope you all enjoy this chapter – the next one is going to skip ahead to Christmastime, and then right after that, we're going to have another Sirius interlude! Enjoy! **

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><p>Chapter 11<p>

"How long do you think he'll be?"

I looked to my right, where Sirius's voice had come from. We were standing outside Dumbledore's office, where Professor McGonagall had taken James nearly a half hour earlier. Lily was pacing, biting her nails every few seconds. Remus was reading a book, though he hadn't turned a page in nearly ten minutes. Peter was sitting on the floor, staring around idly.

"Hopefully not too much longer," I murmured to Sirius, who only nodded in reply. Though I had come from the future, I had no idea what had happened; in my time, Harry didn't even know that much about his parent's lives.

A rumble sounded from the doorway, and the revolving staircase began to descend. Peter struggled to his feet, and Lily stopped pacing and came to stand directly in front of the door. I could feel Sirius become tense from next to me, and I stretched out a hand to grasp his, giving it a light squeeze. A half second later, James appeared.

It was clear something was wrong from the moment we could see his face. His eyes were red, and his face seemed to have aged more than ten years in the space of the last thirty minutes. Everything about him looked defeated. He reminded me of Harry after Sirius's death.

Before anyone could ask, James stopped in front of Lily. With a cracked voice devoid of emotion, he said "My parents are dead."

I swallowed the lump that had already begun to form in my throat. Sirius's hand went limp in mine, and I could tell that he was shaking; James's parents had been like a mother and father to him as well.

Lily seemed at a loss for words. She had never met the Potters, and now, they were gone. She looked at James helplessly. I gently pulled my hand from Sirius's and placed it on the small of his back, guiding him forward. It seemed to be the only push he needed, and he snapped out of his shock and in two strides had pulled James into a hug. The lump in my throat overcame me, and I felt tears sliding down my face at a rapid rate.

James let out an anguished cry as he gripped Sirius. I saw Lily cover her mouth, and I walked to her side, putting an arm around her back. Remus and Peter tentatively approached James. Remus was the first to hesitantly put a hand on his back, and James stepped slightly away from Sirius, turning to face his other two best friends. The four of them fell into a group embrace.

"What do I do?" Lily whispered, her voice strangled, tears running down his own face. I considered.

"He'll come to you next," I said, my voice thick with tears. "He's clinging to Sirius because he was close to the Potters."

Like clockwork, the boy's embrace broke, and James searched for Lily. I quietly stepped away from her and allowed him to wrap his arms around her waist and lay his forehead on her shoulder. She rubbed his back, whispering in his ear. His shoulders were still shaking with tears.

Sirius had not moved, and I tentatively stepped forward. I searched his eyes; their glimmer and spark of mischief had gone out. I threw my arms around his shoulders, and he squeezed me to him. "I'm so sorry," I whispered in his ear, to which he did not reply.

Loss and death…it had become second nature to me in the war in my own time. For James, Sirius, Lily, Remus and Peter, however, it was only beginning.

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><p>It was a quiet and reserved night. Professor Dumbledore had food sent to the Gryffindor common room for the six of us, and we ate in silence. James and Lily occupied the same armchair, clinging to each other. James's tears had stopped, but every few moments he would look up and begin to rapidly blink back new ones.<p>

Similarly, Sirius and I were also in the same chair. I had been unconsciously stroking his hair for the past hour, which usually would have lulled him to sleep. Tonight, however, his eyes stayed wide open, dry and staring.

Remus and Peter were staring a chessboard, not actually playing. Every once in awhile, the pieces would look at them expectantly for orders, though neither of them spoke.

At 11, Professor McGonagall entered the common room, addressing the group. "Do any of you need anything?" she questioned, to which we all shook our heads. "In any case, there will be tea brought up in a few minutes, in case any of you feel you would like some." The English solution for everything: a strong cup of tea. It was almost laughable.

"Mr. Potter," James looked at McGonagall, his eyes puffy. "Dumbledore has offered to make all the arrangements, if that is what you want."

James turned miserably, glancing across the room at Sirius, who shrugged. I stiffened, tears threatening again when I remembered that James was an only child, and that if Dumbledore hadn't offered, he and Sirius would be alone in the preparations.

"I'd prefer Dumbledore make the arrangements for as soon as possible." James said slowly. "Some point this week would be best."

McGonagall nodded. "I will let him know." James nodded, putting his head back against the chair. Lily leaned forward, whispering in his ear. He opened his eyes, and nodded, and together they rose from the chair.

"We're going to head up to bed," Lily said, once McGonagall had left the common room. We all nodded, and I gave her a half smile. I had assumed she would be staying with James for the night.

"Goodnight, mate." Sirius said quietly, and James raised his hand in farewell. He and Lily disappeared up the stairwell, leaving just myself, Sirius, Remus and Peter left downstairs.

We resumed our silence. A couple hours passed and Remus and Peter retired upstairs, leaving just Sirius and I in the common room. The fire was fading, throwing shadows across the walls.

"Did you know?"

There it was, the question I had been waiting for. Sirius was the only one that knew I was from the future, and I knew sooner or later he would ask if had known about the Potter's death.

"No." I said truthfully, turning to look at him. He avoided my gaze.

"Not like you could tell me even if you had known." He muttered, wiping his nose, which had begun to run. I could tell he was holding back tears.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. He finally turned to face me, and there were tears gathered in his eyes.

"For what? Their death, or that you can't tell me anything?"

I considered, biting my lip to stop my own tears. "Both."

"Merlin knows I wish I had a girlfriend who wasn't so complex, but I really wouldn't love you any other way."

I froze. He loved me?

"Yes, Hermione, I love you," Sirius said, noting my expression. "I know it's a shitty time to say it, what with everything going on, but it's true. I've known it for weeks, I just haven't had the courage to tell you."

"I love you, Sirius." I said honestly, twisting to face him fully. A smile broke out on his face, and his eyes lit. It was an astonishing difference. He leaned forward quickly, pushing his mouth onto mine roughly. I pushed myself up, wrapping a leg around his waist, and he turned so I was straddling him in the chair. Our lips moved feverishly, and I unconsciously began to grind my pelvis into his, eliciting a groan from his lips.

"_Oh God, this is happening." _I thought, panicking slightly. Before I could worry too much, however, Sirius pulled back, his face red.

"We can't, Hermione, not like this." My face must have looked confused, because he continued. "I want to…believe me, I want to more than anything, but it can't be like this. I want it to be special, and I want it to be romantic, not a quick shag in a chair in the common room."

"I agree," I said breathlessly. Though I wanted to as well, the thought of doing it in a chair and when Sirius was upset was not a very romantic concept. It would be better if we waited.

"For the record," I said, leaning forward to peck his lips. "I also want it more than anything." Sirius grinned, grasping both sides of my face tenderly.

"I really do love you," he said sincerely, kissing me again. He pulled back resting his forehead against mine. "Would you…would you sleep up in the dormitory with me tonight?" He asked shyly, to which I immediately nodded. I stood up off his lap, reaching out a hand to help him up. We walked up the staircase still holding hands, and entered the boy's room. Sirius got into bed, and I followed suit, slipping underneath the blankets and turning to face him.

"I can't believe they're gone," he said quietly. I reached a hand out, placing it on his chest.

"It's going to be okay," I assured him, and I saw a tear roll from the corner of his eye and over his nose. "I promise, it's going to be okay." I thought of everyone we had lost – Fred, Tonks, Dumbledore…Sirius. I closed my eyes, willing the thought of Sirius tumbling through the veil out of my head. They had all hurt, and we had all grieved over the losses. At the end of the day it still hurt, but somehow, it was okay… we had each other. And James and Sirius had all of us to help them get through the loss of the Potters.

"The war is coming, isn't it?" Sirius asked, though I could tell it was less a question, and more of an observation. I said nothing at first. Sirius sighed, pulling me closer to him. I felt a few tears squeeze out of my eyes, and I sighed, voicing my own observation.

"It's already begun."

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><p><strong>And there you have it, chapter 11. Leave me a review, and I'll have the next one (which will be happier!) up soon! <strong>

**- Brittany**


	14. Chapter 12: Connect

**Hello everyone! I've been really, super looking forward to this chapter… it's the sex (the first one, anyway…) and also Christmas, but who really cares about yuletide when there's sex to be had, hmm? As always, leave a review at the end, and let me know what you think!**

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><p>Chapter 12<p>

A month had passed since the events of that November night, when we found out that the Potters had passed away. It was one of the saddest weeks I'd ever experienced, and considering we had buried Fred, Tonks, Snape, and several other classmates over the span of a week after the second war, that was saying something.

The funeral had dawned a beautiful Tuesday morning, just a few days after James had heard the news. It took place in Godric's Hollow, an eerie place for me, considering I had visited James and Lily's graves with Harry in the 1990s. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were eulogized by both James and Sirius, who spoke of their kindness. In true marauder fashion, they also pointed out the ways Mr. and Mrs. Potter had taught them to have fun and break the rules as well. They were composed throughout their speeches, until the end; when James said that he could "never have asked for a better man and woman to raise him", his voice cracked, causing the rest of us to lose our own composures.

James stayed in his room with Sirius for the rest of the week, emerging only for meals. Occasionally, Sirius and Lily switched out and Sirius would spend time with me, though we were apart for most of the week. I spent the majority of my time with Remus and Peter, playing gobstones and trying to learn to play wizard's chess. It was fine; I knew that James and Sirius needed each other.

James, however, was not one to spend too much time being upset. By the beginning of the next week, the old James was back. He was loud, mischievous and charming, much to our relief. Every once in awhile I would see his eyes cloud over and his grin would slacken, and I knew he was thinking of his parents. It occurred less as time went on, however, and by Christmastime, he seemed to be doing fine.

We had all decided that we would stay at Hogwarts over Christmas; James wouldn't want to go home, and Sirius and I both didn't have homes to go to. Lily complained about her sister Petunia's "awful fiancé Vernon Durdson" (I didn't bother to correct her), and Remus and Peter followed everyone else. It was to be a wonderful Christmas, with the six of us together for the holiday.

"Happy Christmas Eve," a low voice purred in my ear. I was sitting in the Great Hall, waiting for everyone else to join me for dinner. I grinned, turning around to come face to face with Sirius.

"And a Happy Christmas Eve to you as well," I said brightly, leaning forward to kiss him lightly. He smiled back, sitting next to me on the bench. He casually laid a hand on my thigh, and I leaned into his shoulder, sighing as I inhaled his scent.

"WEEEEEE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS, WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS…" I didn't have to look up to know that the sound came from James Potter. I laughed, and Sirius and I both turned and began to sing along. Lily was next to him, and she too began to sing. Remus and Peter brought up the rear of the group, and Remus shrugged, joining in the song.

"Happy Christmas Eve!" James shouted to the staff members, and to the Great Hall in general. Dumbledore waved him forward, brandishing a cracker at him. James grinned, pulling on one end and a loud snap echoed through the hall, and several mice and bits of confetti scattered. We all laughed hysterically as James chased after a few of the stray mice. He looked truly happy, as did Sirius, which was something to be extremely grateful for.

Dinner passed in a flurry of food and laughter. We consumed everything in sight: from turkey to the pie that materialized after we thought we had all already had too much. Stuffed, the six of us left the Great Hall together, practically skipping with excitement that there were only a few hours left until Christmas.

Hogwarts was quiet, and Sirius and I decided to take a walk around the castle. We parted with our four friends, wishing them a good night and set off in the general direction of the astronomy tower. Our fingers intertwined, we walked for five minutes in a comfortable silence before Sirius spoke.

"Would you do something for me?" I tilted my head upwards, peering at him.

"Of course,"

Sirius hesitated. "Would you…would you want to sleep up in my dorm with me tonight?"

Instantly, my heart began to beat faster. It was the "sex thing", or that's what I had been calling it in my head. Lily and I had been talking about it almost daily; she and James had done it a few weeks after our initial talk, and now, they did it every day. Sometimes more than once a day. I wanted that with Sirius, but I also wanted it to be special. On top of that, I was constantly forgetting that I wasn't actually from the 1970s, and that adding sex into the equation could make things even more complicated. I usually liked to shut that rational point down.

"Of course I would," I replied instantly, without thinking. Mentally, I smacked myself. Could I have possibly sounded more eager?

Sirius grinned, squeezing my hand. "Okay," he said quietly, leaning over and kissing the side of my head. "I promise I'll be on my best behaivor,"

I gulped. "You don't have to do that," I blurted out. Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, good, because I actually didn't have intentions to."

My face reddened. Sirius laughed, running his knuckles down my cheek. "Don't be embarrassed, love," he said, still chuckling. "I promise it'll be great."

I laughed as well, my face turning even redder. "Do you want to head back?" Sirius asked quietly, and I nodded. We turned down a hallway towards the common room, coming to a stop in front of the fat lady. We both said the password, to which she swung open, and we entered through the portrait hole, coming into an empty common room. "I'll be up to your room in a bit," I said, to which Sirius nodded. He pulled me by the hand into him, crushing me against his chest.

"I'll be waiting for you," he said lowly, leaning forward to kiss me. It was over too quickly, and he had pulled away, smirking as he walked to his staircase. I wandered to my own, waiting til Sirius was out of sight before taking the steps two at a time. Within minutes, I was running around the bathroom like a hurricane, mentally screaming. I looked in the mirror for about the fifteenth time. My hair was a wreck, my eyebrows needed to be tweezed, and I had a zit on my chin.

"There is no way in hell that I am having sex tonight." I announced to the bathroom. Lily was with James, and Alice was home, meaning that I had the whole room to myself until I left to sleep with Sirius. I took in a deep breath, breathing the air back out slowly. "But I want to," I said quietly, a grin spreading across my face. Anticipation crawled into my stomach at the thought of being with Sirius; it had been a long time.

I hardened my resolve and got to work. I plucked the few stray hairs in my eyebrows while a leave-in conditioner worked magic (literally) on my hair. I shaved my legs, and put on a small amount of makeup. Walking into my bedroom, I selected a red pair of lace panties with a matching bra, throwing a robe over my lingerie. I checked the mirror one last time, smoothing down a few pieces of stray hair. Nervousness took over my stomach. This was it, the moment I had been waiting for. I was finally going to give everything to Sirius Black, and truly, in my book, seal the deal.

I took another deep breath, turning to leave my room. I went down the girl's staircase and crossed to the boys, climbing a few flights before I reached the seventh year's dormitory. I pushed the door open, making my way to Sirius's bed on the far right.

"Hey," I said shyly, opening the curtain. Sirius was shirtless, reclining against his pillows, clearly waiting for me. He was wearing lounge pants low on his hips, and muscles disappeared below the waistband. It was a few seconds before I realized I had been staring.

"Hello to you," Sirius said, looking at me up and down. It was pretty clear that I wasn't wearing actual clothes under the robe. Sirius scooted over on his bed, making room for me. "Sit down," he said quietly, and I shook my head.

Seeing Sirius shirtless and waiting for me had brought about a change in my aura: I immediately felt more confident and sexy. Sirius looked confused at my refusal to sit down, and instead of explaining, I decided to demonstrate.

I put a knee on the bed, undoing the belt on my robe as I did. I let it drop to the floor, and I saw Sirius's eyes widen slightly. He cleared his throat. "Ah, well, yes, then…" Rendering the sex god of Hogwarts speechless only furthered my self-confidence, and I swung a leg over Sirius's body to straddle him.

"Merry Christmas to me," Sirius murmured, grinning. He leaned upwards to press his lips to mine, and after that, we were in a frenzy. Sirius sat up straight, and pulled my body flush with his. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tangling a hand in his hair. He disconnected his mouth with mine to trail wet kisses down my neck, before moving back up, blowing cool air on the still damp skin, causing me to shudder.

"Mm…did you cast a muffliato?" I half spoke, half moaned between kisses. Sirius nodded.

"Before you got here," he said, and I giggled, bouncing in his lap slightly.

"So you knew," I teased, smirking. He rolled his eyes.

"Of course I knew," he said, before diving in to attack my neck once again. Sirius's fingers were splayed across my back, and after a few moments I felt them move up to close around my bra clasp. He snapped it open with ease and brought his hands to my shoulders to slowly drag the straps down my arms. When it was completely gone, he leaned back to look. The first time I had been with Ron, I had felt embarrassed, and even tried to cover up. This, though…this was different. I never felt so confident.

With a low growl, Sirius held the inside of my knee close to his hip and in one fluid motion, flipped us over so he was hovering over me. I bit my lip as his gaze moved from my face to my breasts. He looked up again, pecked me quickly on the mouth, and then without hesitation, attached his mouth to one nipple, his hand moving to the other. Instantly, I felt myself get more anxious, and my back arched against the bed. An involuntary moan escaped my mouth. After a few seconds, Sirius looked up at me, his eyes dark with lust. He licked his lips, planting a kiss on my chest without breaking eye contact.

Without a word he began to trail kisses down my stomach, until he was hovering over the waistband of my panties. He hooked a finger around the side and dragged them down on legs, allowing me to kick them off at the end. I could feel his breath, hot and light on me, and just when I thought I had a moment to catch my breath, I felt his tongue flick my clit.

I sucked in a breath, my legs tensing. I could practically feel Sirius's smirk, and before I could sit up to look at him, he did it again, and I fell back on the pillows. He continued, flicking his tongue side-to-side and in circles. It had been a long time for me, and I felt myself getting close to my peak within a couple minutes. My breathing became more labored, and Sirius could tell I was almost done; he quickened his pace, his tongue moving quickly up and down. I felt my body temperature rising and my core tensing, and within seconds I was involuntarily grinding into his face, moaning, and screaming his name. The orgasm washed over me, leaving me in a cold sweat, the aftershocks coursing through me, curling my toes.

Sirius moved back up my body slowly. My legs were still shaking, and Sirius smiled, pressing a kiss to my lips.

"That was…" I started, at a loss for words.

"Incredible." Sirius finished.

Instead of quelling my lust, the orgasm made me want Sirius even more, and with some difficulty, I pushed my body up on shaking arms and turned so I was on top of him. I could feel his length through his boxers, and could tell he was hard and ready to go. I pulled his boxers down, freeing him from their confines. I moved over him, positioning him outside of my entrance, and slowly guided him into me, lowering myself over his body.

I gasped as his length entered, stretching my post-orgasm self open to accommodate him. He fit perfectly. When he was completely engulfed, Sirius sat up, putting his hands on either side of my face.

"I love you," he said sincerely, and my eyes pricked.

"I love you," I said, and in that moment, I knew that it was the truest thing I had ever said. I thought I had been in love before, but no, this, _this_ was love. This was passion.

Using Sirius's shoulders for support, I began to move up and down on his length, eliciting a groan from his lips. He placed his hands on my hips, guiding my motions. His breathing was heavy, and a sheen of sweat was forming on his upper lip. With his strength, he rolled us over so he was on top of me. He continued his thrusting, and I hooked a leg over his shoulder, allowing him a deeper angle. He leaned his head down to kiss me, tangling his tongue with mine in passion.

Without missing a beat he rolled onto his side, bringing me with him, so that we were facing each other. One of my legs was still hooked on his shoulder, the other resting atop his hip.

"Hermione, I'm going to finish," he said breathlessly, his thrusts speeding up. I squeezed my muscles, tightening around his length. As soon as he felt it, he gasped, his movements becoming more erratic. With a moan, I felt his release, and he trembled, emptying himself in me.

Our breathing was heavy, and we were both dripping with sweat. Sirius locked eyes with me and leaned forward, crushing his lips to mine. I kissed him back with equal passion. He was still inside me, my leg still over his shoulder.

I felt Sirius carefully pull out of me rolling again to hover over my body. I shakily unhooked my leg from his shoulder, letting it rest on the mattress.

"That was perfect," Sirius breathed, collapsing atop my body, his own muscles shaking too much to hold him up. I smiled as he rested his head against my shoulder, lightly kissing my neck every few seconds.

Sirius was right, it had been perfect. It was lustful, it was passionate, and above all, it was loving. It was everything I could have wanted.

"I love you," Sirius murmured into my neck, kissing me, before rolling onto his side. I moved to lay on my side as well, moving back until my body was flush with his. I could still feel him shaking and twitching, and my own muscles were still not calm from my earlier orgasm.

I smiled as Sirius wrapped his arms around my body, hugging me close to him. "I love you," I replied, closing my eyes.

"Oh, and Merry Christmas," Sirius said, with a small laugh. I giggled as well, snuggling into his body.

Merry Christmas indeed.

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><p><strong>Well kids, there it is, their first sex! Hope it was to everyone's standards, I actually had a bit of a block writing it because it's been so long for me (sadness!) Drop me a review, and I'll have the next chapter up soon!<strong>

**-Brittany**


	15. Interlude 2: Sirius

**Hi everyone! Sorry this took an extra week – I've been really busy with school and searching for a job. I finally decided to do another Sirius POV – this one was pretty hard to write, and you'll all see why towards the end. **

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><p>Interlude 2: Sirius<p>

Alone again. It was a feeling I had gotten used to, both in Azkaban and at home. At home, there would always be members of the Order bustling around; Molly would be making dinner, Remus would be trying to cheer me up, and Harry and his friends would be up to something.

That was, of course, when everyone was together, which was not often. Most of the time, it was Kreacher, Buckbeak and myself (along with any other beast that happened to still be living in 12 Grimmauld Place). Harry and the rest of the Order were usually only around during holidays; the other members came in and out, but never stayed for long. Sometimes someone would come in and leave, and I wouldn't even know. It was certainly a lonely life.

The worst part by far was being back in this house. There had been so much torment here when I was young – my parents treated me terribly, and my mother went as far as to blast my name off the family tapestry. I could never be as good as Regulus, the star of the family, and my parents despised me for it. Even at the age of 11, I was already deviating from their path: being sorted into Gryffindor was a blow to their egos that they never forgot.

The only thing to be thankful for, however, was the lack of scrutinizing I had been under. When Hermione was not in the same vicinity as me, no one acted strangely, and no one gave me patronizing looks. It was difficult; Remus was fine, but people like Moody and Snape were particularly difficult. Dumbledore was indifferent. He had a discussion with me the moment I arrived back at number 12, Grimmauld Place. He was short and to the point, not staying more than twenty minutes. He had told me that I could never reveal to anyone that Hermione had been to the past. I had talked to Remus later on, and he said that he had gotten the same speech back in her third year when he had started teaching.

I was nervous about the war. It was coming, that much I knew, and I knew that Harry would be involved. And if Harry was involved, Ron and Hermione would be as well. Despite the fact that I couldn't acknowledge my marriage, Hermione was still my wife, and the thought of her being in danger, and me not being able to do anything about it was absolutely jarring. Part of our vows were to 'honor and protect'. How could I protect her when I wasn't allowed to admit that I was her husband?

I was proud, though, of Harry, Ron and Hermione, for all they were doing to prepare for the war. They knew it was coming; they were smart kids. Harry was just like James: intelligent, loyal, and willing to put himself on the line for the better of his friends. Dumbledore's Army would have been something that James and I would have done back in our own Hogwarts years. I was nervous for Harry though, as well: if he was caught, he would most definitely be expelled, especially since that Umbridge woman was running the school. He had to be careful, and so did Hermione.

I could hear murmuring of voices coming from downstairs, and I rose from my seat, patting Buckbeak on the head as I walked by. It was Kreacher, probably talking to my mother's portrait again. I rolled my eyes, sighing as I sat back down. As if 12 Grimmauld Place wasn't unpleasant enough, there was an unmovable portrait of my mother, still screeching as though she was still alive. How charming.

I looked at the clock on the wall, noting that there was only twenty minutes until Tonks arrived. She came around every day, with her sunny attitude, tripping over things her entire way through the house. She brought news from the Auror's office, which was not usually much. They were still refusing to acknowledge that Voldemort had returned, and therefore still spent much of their time chasing after petty criminals.

I liked Tonks, and I was sick of Remus blowing her off. I thought that I could be an example to him: that if you love someone, you should go after them, despite the consequences. I had known that Hermione was from the future only a few weeks after meeting her, but I didn't let that stop me from falling in love with and eventually marrying her. I tried to tell him that he should just let go and have fun for once, but he was having none of it. She was too young, and he was too dangerous; the reasons were always the same, and still not good enough.

"Sirius!" Tonks's voice rang through the house. I glanced at the clock again. It hadn't even been a minute.

"Up here," I called back, standing up and walking towards the door. Tonks was bounding up the stairs, taking two at a time.

"I have…to go…" she said, panting slightly. I frowned, clearing my throat.

"What happened?"

"It's Harry," Immediately, I sprang into action, pulling her back down the stairs with me. "He had a vision of Voldemort, thought that he had you in the Department of Mysteries. It has to do with the prophecy." I halted on the last stair. That damn prophecy. That prophecy had led the bastard to James and Lily. That prophecy was the reason why two of my best friends were dead, and why I was in prison for years.

"What about the prophecy?"

"Apparently, only Harry can take it off the shelf. And the death eaters…they want it. So Voldemort lured Harry to the Department of Mysteries by…"

"By making him think that I was in danger." I said, running a hand violently through my hair. "Are they on their way there?"

"According to Snape, they're already there."

"Snape?" I spit. "What does he have to do with this?"

"Honestly, Sirius, everything. If it wasn't for Snape, we wouldn't' even know where the kids were."

"Who else is there?" I asked, my heart dropping.

"Ron, Neville Longbottom, Ginny and Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood and Hermione Granger."

'_Her last name is Black.' _I thought distractedly, before jumping back into action. "How are we getting there?"

"You're not coming," Tonks said nervously. "Moody's orders. He said that since you're still a fugitive…"

"Like hell I'm not coming," I said roughly, turning towards the door and opening it. "You can apparate both of us to the entrance to the Ministry. We can get into the Department of Mysteries without me being seen."

Tonks nodded nervously. "Okay, fine, but if we get in trouble, it's on you." I nodded briskly, taking her arm. Without another word, she turned on the spot, apparating us to London.

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><p>"Sirius what the fuck are you doing here?" Remus hissed as Tonks and I hurried to join him outside the Department of Mysteries. "Didn't you tell him he couldn't come?" he yelled at Tonks, whose face turned red.<p>

"Don't yell at her, do you honestly think that I wouldn't have come, Remus? You're here, Harry is here, and you know what else."

Tonks looked confused, but let the comment rest. Remus's gaze softened slightly, and he shrugged, grabbing my shoulder roughly.

"We're going to go inside together, there's a lot of death eaters in there, and we know a few of the kids are out of commission." I raised my eyebrows in alarm.

"She's fine." Remus said lowly, so Tonks couldn't here. "She was hit with a spell, and she's knocked out, but she's fine. Don't worry."

"Honor and protect, Remus, can't forget about it," I mumbled, grinding my teeth at the thought of Hermione injured.

"I know. Just focus on Harry, he's the one that we've got to get out of there."

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><p>"Accio Proph – " Dolohov started, but I was quicker. I rammed into him, pushing him away from Harry. He immediately turned on me, snarling. He sent hex after hex, and I sprung into action. It felt like the first war again, and everything James, Remus, Lily, Peter and Hermione had learned was coming back to me.<p>

"Petrificus Totalus!" Harry said from behind me, and Dolohov went rigid. I grinned, turning around to Harry.

"Nice one! Now I want you to get out of – " I was cut off, however, when a jet of green light almost hit me. We both turned to see Tonks fall down the stairs, stunned. I followed the jet of light back to Bellatrix, who was laughing as her niece tumbled out of sight.

White-hot fury ignited my body as I watched Bellatrix laugh and rejoin the battle. She was my blood relative, and yet, we could not be more different, and in that moment, she was too close to my friends, too close to Harry, and too close to my wife, and that was not something that was okay with me. I turned back to Harry.

"Harry, take the prophecy, grab Neville and run!" I left him, giving him one more glance; he looked exactly like James. I moved to meet Bellatrix, immediately engaging her in a duel.

"You!" she said, her voice full of hate. "You're not worthy to lick the dirt off my shoes, and yet here you are, thinking that you have a chance against me."

I laughed along with her, blocking a stunning spell she shot at me. "Bellatrix, you can't even imagine how long I've wanted to have this reunion with you."

"Harry, round up the others and GO!" I heard Remus shout. I backed towards the exit, where Harry was dragging Neville. I vaguely heard someone shout that Dumbledore had arrived, but Bellatrix consumed my every sense. I could not look away, I could not stop fighting, and I sure as hell could not let her win.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" I shouted, still laughing.

I was a millisecond too slow. Red light hit my chest and my entire body went limp. I could feel myself falling backwards, moving almost ethereally. I was vaguely aware of an arch overhead, and as I continued to fall, I felt the curious sense of cold wash over my entire body. There was a veil around me, hanging raggedly from the arch. I was surprised; had Bellatrix managed to kill me? I didn't have long to dwell, though; a split second later, a vision of Hermione in a wedding dress enveloped my senses, and then everything went black.

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><p><strong>I literally sat at my computer and was like…well…guess I have to kill Sirius tonight. <strong>** I'm very sad. Hope everyone enjoyed despite the less-than-happy ending! Dont forget, though, I said there would be a happy ending...things may not be as they appear! Leave me a review, and I'll update ASAP! **

**Also! this story now has a tumblr (I'm literally just going to update the chapters daily there that have already been written) BUT what's new for anyone who's read this is that I made a graphic for the story, of just how I picture Sirius as a teenager (Jeremy Sumpter! haha) and such. If anyone wants to check it out, it's . :) **


	16. Chapter 13: Prophecy

**Hello everyone! Sorry for the wait, but here we go, chapter 13! I've been waiting to write this one for awhile! Enjoy! **

In mid January, the rest of the student body returned to Hogwarts from the holiday break. In their absence, myself, Sirius, Remus, Peter, James and Lily had practically owned the school. We stayed out after curfew, made regular trips to Hogsmeade, and ate meals whenever we wanted. Dumbledore turned a blind eye to our skirting the rules; he was as glad as any of us to see James smiling again.

Sirius and I were doing fantastically. After we had…consummated our relationship, things could not have been better. Sirius was a wonderful boyfriend, something that many students of Hogwarts couldn't believe. After having a reputation as a playboy, the thought of the great Sirius Black settling down with just one girl was jarring for most. And yet…it was perfect.

I loved him. As scary as it was to admit, I was completely and totally in love with Sirius Black. Not the infatuation type, either. The head-over-heels, when-are-we-going-to-get-married type of love. And frankly, it scared the shit out of me.

I still thought of Ron often. And Harry, for that matter. Despite how much Sirius, and the rest of the 1970s gang meant to me, Harry and Ron had still been my best friends for over seven years. I still missed them with all of my heart, and if I disappeared, and returned to 1998 tomorrow, I would be happy to see them.

…Just terribly disappointed to leave Sirius behind.

It was something I was beginning to wonder. Was I ever going to go back? The possibility seemed slim: If Dumbledore hadn't been able to come up with something by now, it wasn't likely that he ever would. And I was surprisingly okay with that.

"Hello? Hermione? Earth to Hermione!" Lily's voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I looked up, blinking. The redhead stood in front of me, holding two different sets of lingerie.

"I need an opinion." She said, brandishing a black thong and bra at me. "Pretend you are James for a moment." I nodded, sitting up straighter. "Do you like me in black?" She again indicated the black thong and bra. "Or do you like me in red?" She held a matching set in her other hand, with scarlet lace.

"I like the red…hang on, Lily Evans, let me see those panties!" I said, and Lily's face flushed.

"Ah, no you don't need to closely inspect them," she muttered, turning around. I stood up, following her.

"I thought I was supposed to be James, he would want to inspect them - ARE THOSE CROTCHLESS PANTIES LILY EVANS?" I shrieked, grabbing them from her hand to hold them closer to my eyes.

"Give them back!" Lily whined, trying to jump onto my back to retrieve the thong. I laughed tossing them back in her face.

"I pick those, hands down," I said, still laughing. She balled them into her fist, her face still glowing.

"Thank you," she sniffed, and I laughed again, enjoying her embarrassment. She had grilled me to the point of humiliation about the first time Sirius and I had sex, and this was more than payback.

"Is there a special occasion?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Lily stepped away from her trunk, closing it with a snap, the panties and bras safely away.

"It's our anniversary," she said quietly. "I want it to be special."

"You could be naked and it would still be special." Lily raised on eyebrow. "Ah, yes, well I guess you'll probably end up naked anyway, but you know what I mean. James adores you, you don't need special lingerie!"

"I guess you're right," she sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I probably shouldn't worry about it so much…the sex is always good," she smirked and winked in my general direction, and I giggled, sitting down on the end of my bed to face her.

"I overheard Remus complaining to Peter about the two of you, shagging like bunnies up there," I teased, and Lily laughed, crossing her legs in front of her.

"Well, there was a lot of sexual tension between James and I, whether I cared to admit it or not. We had a lot of feelings to get out." Lily laughed again. "But what about you and Sirius, you guys shag all the time! I heard Peter caught you down on the common room couch the other night when he was going out for something to eat!"

I blushed at that, remembering the intrusion. Sirius and I had been down in the common room, just talking, when one thing led to another and I was bent over the couch, Sirius behind me. We were so caught up in the moment that we didn't even hear Peter come down the stairs. He had been standing there for almost twenty seconds before we noticed his presence. What a lovely sight for him, I'm sure.

"Well…I actually really have nothing to say. We just jump each other sometimes in inconvenient places."

Lily shrugged. "Potter had his hand up my skirt all of dinner last night." She said this nonchalantly. My eyes bulged.

"YOU WERE DOING WHAT AT DINNER?" I practically shouted, clapping a hand over my mouth. Lily nodded proudly.

"Best damn meal I've ever had."

We both dissolved into giggles. "Speaking of…" Lily said mischievously, fetching the underwear out of her trunk. "I'm going to put these on for dinner tonight… seems Potter will be in for a bit of a surprise."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. Lily Evans was something else.

OoO

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><p>"Ms. Granger," I looked up from dinner to see Professor McGonagall. Sirius put a hand on my thigh, squeezing slightly. I smiled at him quickly, before turning my attention back to Professor McGonagall.<p>

"Yes, Professor?" I asked.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office. Immediately."

I felt Sirius tense next to me. My mouth had gone extremely dry. What if this was it? What if he had found a way for me to go back? I began to panic, glancing around the table. Sirius, James, Lily, Remus, even Peter… would I even be able to say goodbye to anyone?

"I'm coming with you," Sirius gritted out, his grip on my leg becoming painful. I laid a hand on top of his, prying his fingers off my skin.

"You are not, Mr. Black." Professor McGonagall said harshly. "You are to stay here. This meeting is for Ms. Granger, and Professor Dumbledore. Hurry, Ms. Granger."

I gulped, turning to face Sirius. "Hey, Hermione, I'm sure it's nothing bad, maybe Dumbledore wants to make you a reserve prefect or something!" I vaguely heard Remus's voice, but I dismissed it. No one knew. No one but Sirius. And he was pale and shaking. What if this was it?

I stood up on shaky legs. Sirius stood next to me, pulling my hips to his, and burying his face in my neck. "You fucking come back to me, do you understand?" he said, his voice gruff. Tears stung my eyes and I hugged him back tightly.

"I will, I will." I reassured, though I wasn't very sure myself. "I love you, Sirius."

"Don't say I love you to me like it's the last time you're going to see me." Sirius said harshly.

"I'm not," I soothed, stepping out of his embrace. I put on a strong face. "I'm saying it because I mean it."

Sirius leaned forward, crushing his lips to mine. "I love you too," he whispered fiercely against my mouth. I squeezed his hand, looking into his eyes one last time.

"I'll see you in the common room," I promised, turning to follow Professor McGonagall.

"She'll be back soon," James said cautiously to Sirius, who I imagined must have looked crazy to our other friends. I couldn't hear Sirius's answer as I followed Professor McGonagall out of the Great Hall.

It was a silent trip to Professor Dumbledore's office. I was too nervous to speak, and afraid that I would vomit out of anticipation. If Professor Dumbledore said he had found a way for me to return home, what could I say? "Oh no, Sir, I think I'll stay here, even though I know that two of my friends will die in a few years because of another one of my friends, but my boyfriend will go to jail for the murders. Oh and by the way, in a few years when I'm actually born and at Hogwarts, I'll have another of my friends as a Professor, until he turns into a werewolf and meets up again with the aforementioned boyfriend, who by the way, will tumble to his death through a fucking VEIL when I'm fifteen."

That would be perfect.

"Lemon Drops." I vaguely heard Professor McGonagall dictate the password to the stone guardian of the headmaster's office. "Go on up, Ms. Granger." She instructed, and I mutely stepped onto the moving stairs.

"Ms. Granger." A voice greeted me as I stepped out of the stairway. I was faced with Professor Dumbledore, and my Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, Professor Rileston.

"Professors," I greeted, my voice guarded. Had Dumbledore informed Professor Rileston about my origins?

"Let's cut right to the chase, Ms. Granger, I know you're from the 1990s." Professor Rileston said, motioning to a seat. That answers that question. I sat down without a word.

"Ah," I said, not knowing how to respond. Professor Dumbledore regarded me over his spectacles.

"We believe we know more about your situation, Ms. Granger."

To this, I sat up straighter. "You do?" I questioned.

"Professor Rileston here is a seer," Professor Dumbledore said, indicating the man on his left. I studied him closer. I had class with him multiple times a week, and had never had any indication that he was a seer. Except…

"You may recall, Ms. Granger, your first day in my class where I entered your mind using Occlumency. That was no normal routine. In fact, I hadn't even been planning on teaching you Occlumency that day. It was because I knew exactly who you were, and why you had come."

"And why is that, Sir?" I asked slowly.

"As Professor Dumbledore said, I am a Seer. I see things, Ms. Granger. I see right now that you have past experience with Seers and you do not believe a word I am saying." My mouth dropped open. How had he known?

"Auras are easy to read Ms. Granger, even for those not born with the Seer trait. I could tell you were out of place the moment you stepped into my classroom. It was not the aura to surround a home school transfer, however, and I decided to jump into Occlumency to test my theory. I made a prophecy many years ago, and I knew immediately that you were the girl to whom the prophecy referred."

My eyes widened. A prophecy about me?

"What…what did it say?"

"The exact reference and words are in the Department of Mysteries, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said slowly. "But as I was the one to hear the prophecy many years ago when Professor Rileston made it, I can tell you the gist." I leaned forward, indicating him to continue.

"The prophecy says that one from the future will approach at the start of war." Dumbledore began, laying his hands on the surface of his desk. "Obviously, so far, it's quite simple." I nodded.

"The next part is where it begins to get fuzzy, though we're still confident it means you. It says that this person will allow events to happen, without changing their course. This means that you will not alter the future." Again, I nodded.

"It then says that you will lie in wait, creating the force to reunite. It says you will hide until you come full circle and reemerge into the world of your past, as a person of your future."

My head was spinning. Create a force to reunite? What the hell did that mean? And that last part…

"Sir," I said quietly, looking down. "That final part, about coming full circle…does that mean that…"

"You're not going back, Ms. Granger." Professor Rileston said bluntly. "It means that you will wait, hiding yourself for years, until the time comes that you disappeared in the future. It is only then that you will be able to reveal yourself. You will be much older, that is certain, but only then can you safely show yourselves to those you knew in the 1990s without altering the timeline."

Again, my head was spinning. I was going to be about forty years old when I would finally see Ron and Harry again. I would be nowhere near the teenager that had left them that morning to go to potions class. Remus would be waiting for me to reemerge from the potions classroom, assuming that I would return to the 1990s from the 1970s without a change in appearance. After all, why would he think any differently?

This was awful. I wouldn't be able to see my friends for more than twenty years. They would not know it, but I would have to wait all that time to see them again, all that time living through years before I was born, and then there would be two Hermione Grangers on the planet, one in her twenties and thirties, and then other a child.

"She's in shock," Professor Rileston muttered to Dumbledore. He leaned forward and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Ms. Granger. It is not as bad as it seems. You will see your friends from home again, it just won't be very soon. You seem to have made a good adjustment here. You have friends here. It will all be okay."

"You can say that," I said bitterly. "You don't know what's going to happen to them."

"Ms. Granger – " Dumbledore started, but I stood up, too anxious to continue sitting.

"Professors, I think I have to go and take a walk." I said bluntly, moving towards the door. "I'll talk about this more when I'm ready."

Neither man said a word as I left the office and stepped into the staircase. A million thoughts swam around my head. I wouldn't see anyone for over twenty years. I was going to have to watch James and Lily die, have to see Sirius go to prison, Peter get away, and Remus live a lonely life for years without his friends.

How was I going to do it?

"Hermione!" a strangled cry rang out through the corridor as I stepped off the staircase. I looked up to see Sirius, his hair disheveled and his general appearance haggard.

"Sirius," I said, my voice relieved. I stepped forward, almost tripping into his arms. As I melted into his embrace, every care and worry slipped away.

"You're here, you're not gone, I was so scared." Sirius mumbled into my hair, a few stray tears splashing onto my neck. I hugged him tightly, clutching his hair between my fingers.

"I'm here, and I'm never going anywhere." I said, pulling back slightly. Sirius looked at me questioningly. "You heard me, Black." I said, a smile coming onto my face. "Dumbledore said I'm not going back home, I'm staying here, and you're stuck with me." Sirius smiled widely. He gathered me into his arms again.

"How?" He questioned, and I shook my head.

"I'll explain later,"

"I love you," he said sincerely, squeezing me to him. I smiled, nuzzling my face into his neck.

"I love you,"

There was a silver lining, and it was Sirius Black. I had a few golden years left with him, and with a jolt, I realized that there was a huge possibility that I was the wife Sirius had talked about in the future. No, I reminded myself. I was **going** to be the wife of Sirius Black. And though it wasn't going to be for long – the timeline had to stay intact and Sirius had to go to prison – I was going to enjoy those shining years that I had left with him.

* * *

><p><strong>SO there we go! Hermione is not going back to the 1990s. I know a lot of you are probably surprised but I have a very good reason why I'm doing this ;) I can't wait for you all to find out what that is! <strong>

**Drop me a review, and I'll have a new one up in a few days (I'm on spring break!) Thank you! **

-**Brittany**


	17. Chapter 14: Graduate

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! I'll keep this short, but there's a longer, more important A/N at the end of the chapter.**

Chapter 14: Graduate

"I can't believe that this is it."

It was Lily, but this was the widely spoken sentiment of the day. The tests had been taken, the classes were complete, and today was the day we were all set to graduate from Hogwarts.

It was strange for me: I had never graduated Hogwarts, though I had gone through it now twice (almost). It was even stranger that I would not be graduating with Ron and Harry by my side, but instead, Harry's parents, our old professor, a traitor, and Harry's godfather. Of course now they were all _my_ friends.

"This isn't IT." I reasoned to Lily, reaching over to adjust to tassel hanging off her gown. "This is the end of a chapter, and the beginning of a new one."

"You're right, Hermione, I just can't believe that this is over…that we won't be staying up late gossiping in our dormitories, that we won't see each other every day…I'm even going to miss classes, and I just…" She broke off, her voice cracking with tears. "I'm sorry," she blubbered, as I rubbed a hand down her back. "These last few months have just been so wonderful, with James and you…"

She trailed off, and I smiled, leaning in to hug her. She was right, the past few months had been wonderful. We spent all of our time together: studying, cracking jokes, and just enjoying each other's company. The thought that it was all coming to an end was jarring.

"Hey," I said quietly, smiling through my own tears. "It's not really over, just the Hogwarts bit. We're still going to see each other all the time, maybe even every day. We're going to still gossip, and everything will still be great!"

She began to smile. "You're right," she confirmed, standing up. "You're going to be with Sirius, I'm going to be with James, and it will all be okay."

I nodded in agreement. I had resolved myself to the fact that I was not going to be returning home to the 1990s, and while it had been difficult at first, it had gotten easier than I had foreseen. The concept of being with Sirius – for however short a time – was an amazing thought. Marrying him, living with him…it was enough to keep me content. And hopefully hold me over for thirteen years while he was in prison.

"Are you ready to go?" Lily questioned, heading towards the door. I adjusted my robe and checked my hair one last time.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I said, smiling as I followed her out the door.

* * *

><p>"Dude. Dude. I'm like…dude."<p>

"Sirius, get a grip."

"THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY."

"You don't have to do this today, you know. You could wait."

I sighed, running a frustrated hand through my hair. James was right, as per the usual. I did not have to do "this" today. But I seriously wanted to.

"I'm getting myself all pumped up, I might as well do it today."

"You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

My eyes widened. "No!" I said loudly. "Of course not!"

"Good. I didn't think you were but I wanted to be sure."

"No, I…I love her. I can't imagine being with anyone else other than her…I'm just nervous, what if she says no?" I pulled at my hair again.

"She's not going to say no."

"What if she does, though? I already bought it!"

"She won't say no, Padfoot, you'll be fine."

I let out a wail of anguish.

"Come on, bro." James said, clapping a hand on my back. "Let's go graduate."

* * *

><p>"…and remember, students. Your time at Hogwarts was not just for learning, but also a time for creating bonds and unions. You may not remember all the students you were here with, but you must remember the friendships you have made. Dark times and war lie ahead, and we must not burn bridges or make enemies of each other. It is in the darkest times that we need our friends the most." Dumbledore concluded his speech, casting a wary eye around the student body. He paused at the Slytherins, his eyes lingering on Bellatrix and Lucius.<p>

"And with that, I call forward Professor McGonagall to read the names of our graduates."

I tuned out, my ears picking up classmates that I knew.

"Bellatrix Black." The raven-haired girl sauntered forward haughtily, taking her diploma from Dumbledore with a leer. Dumbledore was gracious enough to not change his expression, but I could tell what he was thinking: another one lost to the dark side. I took a good look at Bellatrix as she sat back down. Had it not been for the wild and crazed look in her eyes, she could have been pretty, maybe even beautiful. It was amazing to see what obsessive love and blind following did to someone so young.

"Sirius Black." Professor McGonagall said, and I grinned, standing up with Sirius. We all cheered and clapped as he walked to the podium, his confidence evident on his relaxed face. He was downright mesmerizing as he accepted his diploma. He turned back around, returning to his seat. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him, mumbling a congratulations against his lips.

A few names later, and it was Lily's turn.

"Our head girl, Lily Evans!" We all stood up, cheering and clapping loudly. James gave a "woop!", yelling about how amazing his girlfriend was. We all laughed as Lily's face turned the color of her hair as she accepted her diploma. Dumbledore gave her a quick embrace, and she returned to her seat, accepting a hug from James, and then from me.

It seemed like it had only been a half second before McGonagall was calling my name. I rose to my feet, making the journey to the front of the Great Hall as quickly as I could. When I reached Dumbledore, a smile broke out onto my face. "Congratulations, Ms. Granger." Dumbledore said quietly. "Congratulations on making it through this year with grace, despite the circumstances. I'm very proud of you." I felt tears prick my eyes at his kind words, and accepted my diploma with a quiet "thank you," I turned back towards my seat, wiping my eyes quickly as I approached Sirius. He smiled widely, pulling me into his arms and placing his lips on mine.

"Remus Lupin!" We cheered for our friend who, despite the recent full moon, looking full of life and vigor. He was a fighter, this I knew. Loyal til the end, even to the point of asking me not to go back to the 1970s. To the point of wanting to spare everyone the pain, including myself. He wanted to forgo the memories to bring all of us peace. I did not know of loyalty truer than that.

We stayed still for a few moments, until "Peter Pettigrew!" rang through the room. I stood up with everyone else, everyone who didn't know Peter's true nature. _Eventual_ true nature I scolded myself. At this point he was just another marauder, just another Hogwarts student who would _eventually_ be misguided. I clapped along with the rest of my friends.

"Our head boy, James Potter!" James stood up, hugging Lily and fist bumping Sirius on his way to the front. He shook hands with Dumbledore, pulling the old man into a hug. They had been close since the death of James's parents, and I knew that in some way, like his son Harry, James looked up to Dumbledore as a sort of father figure. He took his diploma, held it up in the air and pumped a fist. "Made it!" he yelled as he gave Sirius a high five. "All those detentions, and we made it!"

The rest of the names passed quickly, and soon we were throwing our hats into the air, rejoicing in the fact that we had done it.

* * *

><p>"Hermione, would you walk with me?" Sirius questioned, placing one hand on the small of my back. After Hogwarts graduation it was customary to have a large feast in the Great Hall with the entire school. We were halfway through desert when Sirius had suddenly stood up and asked me to leave with him.<p>

"Sure," I said, swinging my legs around the back of the bench. I took his hand, and followed him out of the Great Hall. We went to the front doors, and exited the castle, breathing in the June air.

"What's going on?" I questioned, swinging our conjoined hands. I could see a muscle jumping in Sirius's jaw.

"I love you, Hermione." He said, stopping short. I stopped as well, noting that his palm had become sweaty.

"I love you, Sirius," I said slowly. What on earth…

"I have a proposition for you, and I just want you to think before you say no, or say that we haven't known each other for long enough, or whatever else your logical mind wants to come up with."

It was that moment that I realized Sirius Black was going to propose to me.

"I…yes, okay." I said, standing up straighter. If this was a marriage proposal, I didn't want to have bad posture.

"I…well I've been thinking about after Hogwarts for awhile, wondering what we would do and such. I know you want to go to school to be a healer – " I nodded my confirmation. "and I want to go to Auror training with James. But I was thinking about what we, as a couple should do."

He took a deep breath. I was about to wet myself.

"Would you…would you move in with me?"

I blinked. "Ah, move in with you?" I squeaked, my heart rate beginning to slow.

"Yes, move in with me. As in share a flat. As in live together."

"Merlin, Sirius, I thought you were asking me to marry you!"

"What?" Sirius asked, his mouth dropping open. "No, just to move in with me!"

"Oh!" I said, letting out a laugh along with a gust of breath. "Of course I'll move in with you, Sirius."

He relaxed, a smile taking over his nervous face. "Okay, good, because I already bought the flat."

I laughed, wrapping my hands around his torso. "Little presumptuous, don't you think?" I teased. "What if I had said no?"

"Well, you were expecting a marriage proposal!" Sirius laughed, running a knuckle down my face. "Not yet, love." I froze slightly. Yet?

Sirius, realizing what he had said, went scarlet. In lieu of explanation, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. I smiled against his lips, slipping my tongue into his mouth. After a moment, he pulled back.

"You know what we can do all the time when we have our own place?" he asked wickedly.

"Do our own cooking and cleaning?" I asked innocently, to which he let out a large laugh.

"Among other things, love. Among other things."

**Okay! Hope you guys enjoyed (did I fool you into thinking he was going to propose?!) This story is about to undergo a bit of a change. I'm going to speed up the timeline a bit, and what I'm going to do is dedicate a chapter to important events over the next few years. It's looking like next chapter will be Sirius and Hermione moving in, there will be a chapter for their wedding, one for Lily and James's wedding, one for Harry's birth, one for the prophecy/secret keeper business, probably about three chapters covering Halloween (SOBS), and then there will be about four chapters, and an epilogue, and we'll be done! Thank you guys for the reviews, they really keep me going! **

**If anyone is a Les Miserables fan (and you ALL SHOULD BE), I wrote a one shot the other day (I was having Hermione/Sirius block) about Eponine and Enjolras. I'd love it if any Les Mis fans were to give it a look! **

**Again, thank you for the continued love and support. I think of you guys as all my friends! - Brittany **


	18. Chapter 15: Move In

**Hey everyone! So sorry for the wait, school got crazy, I had a lot of guy issues, my family is moving to Florida and I turned 21 – lots of shit has been happening lately! I hope everyone enjoys this one!**

June 1978

"What on earth did you put in this box, Hermione?"

I twisted my body around to look at James, who was standing two stairs below me. By standing, I mean practically falling under the weight of a particularly heavy box. His face was red and his glasses were askew. It was all quite funny.

"Knowing Hermione, it's probably full of books," Sirius said cheerfully from behind his best friend, grinning at me over his shoulder. I laughed, shrugging slightly.

"There is a 90% chance that you are correct, my dear," I said, still smiling at my boyfriend. James rolled his eyes, turning his head to look at Sirius.

"And what the fuck are you holding?" He asked accusingly. Sirius shrugged his shoulders.

"Someone had to carry the pillows,"

I snorted with laughter at the look that James gave Sirius, before moving aside to let him pass me on the stairs. "This is your new apartment," he stated, his voice echoing through the hall. "and I'm stuck carrying the heaviest box there is!"

"I should have taken it, I am much stronger than James." Sirius said pompously. I rolled by eyes, leaning against the wall. Sirius stepped up to be level with me, grinning as he leaned down and pressed himself up against me through the pillows he was carrying. "I cannot wait to have you in every, single room." He said lowly, his eyes darkening with lust. I whimpered slightly, sagging against the wall as his lips aggressively met mine. His tongue was in my mouth within seconds, and the pent up desire ravaged my body.

"Wait until we leave guys, please." Sarcasm dripped from Remus's mouth as Sirius stepped back, licking his lips. My face flushed at Remus's interruption.

"Please, it's nothing you haven't seen before," Sirius reasoned, a grin adorning his handsome face.

"True, but that doesn't mean it's something I have to continuously see." Remus pointed out, hoisting a box higher against his chest. "I also think I got a box of books."

"There are only four of them!" I said earnestly, ignoring the look Remus gave me. "I'm sorry, Remus, you know how much I love to read."

"I do too, but remind me again why we can't use magic to get these up the stairs?"

"This is a muggle building." Sirius said, pointing down a side hallway. There were twenty apartments in the small walkup, and as far as we knew, we were the only magical residents.

"Eh, could've obliviated them." Remus said, grunting as he went up another stair.

"I think I got off easy," Lily said cheerfully, coming up the stairs holding a small box of photos. "I got all the sentimental stuff!"

"Fuck off, Evans." Remus's voice was muffled.

"Language to my girlfriend!" James chastised, and we all rolled our eyes.

"I think I actually got off the easiest!" Peter said, coming into view. He was holding two bottles of wine, one in each hand. "If anything…I have the most fun thing!" We laughed, following Lily up the stairs to our apartment.

It was on the third floor, with a view of the side street below. It was modest, only one bedroom and one bathroom. There was a small kitchen, an even smaller dining room, and a slightly larger den for entertaining purposes. It was comfortable for Sirius and I, and the larger main space was going to be perfect for small gatherings of our closest friends.

"You're going to have to do something about this paint." James said decisively, looking at the den walls in disgust. They were green, just dark enough to be considered Slytherin.

"Hermione wants beige," Sirius said flatly, and I smacked him on the arm.

"Beige is a perfectly normal color, Sirius."

"It's so BORING, Hermione, we're only just out of Hogwarts for crying out loud, can't we have something exciting?"

"Something exciting won't go with our furniture."

"Our couch is _black._ It will go with anything."

I huffed, sitting on the couch. "I don't know Sirius, what color do you want?"

He pulled out his wand, pointing it at the walls. Instantly, they were turned a deep red. "How about that?"

"It's so…red." I said lamely, shrugging my shoulders. "I'm not sure I like it…it makes the room look smaller."

James pulled out his wand next, turning the walls a light shade of blue. "No way," Lily said, wrinkling her nose. "This is so not Hermione and Sirius."

Peter changed the walls to a light yellow. "We're not Hufflepuffs." Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. Peter's face turned red, and he sat next to me on the couch.

Remus pulled out his wand, flicking it lazily at the wall. They turned the exact shade of Sirius's eyes, a warm gray tone.

"Perfect." I sighed, glancing from the walls to Sirius. He was also smiling.

"That is SO Hermione and Sirius."

"More like so Sirius, I didn't realize you knew the exact shade of his eyes, Remus." I teased. He shrugged.

"I thought it went well with the couch."

"Well, now that THAT is settled." Peter said, picking a bottle of wine off the floor. "Shall we celebrate?"

* * *

><p>"Thank you guys!" Sirius called as our (slightly drunk) friends left our new apartment.<p>

"Try not to wake up all your neighbors tonight!" Lily said teasingly, winking as she left the apartment. Sirius laughed and I blushed, waving as the door closed behind her.

"That was nice of them to come and –" I was cut off by Sirius roughly grabbing my arm and turning my body towards him. A low growl escaped his mouth as he backed me against the front door.

"It was nice of them, but I'm so fucking glad they left," he said, his voice hoarse. I gulped, tilting my face toward his. He leaned down quickly, connecting his mouth to mine. His lips were hard against mine, his hands roving down my body, caressing the sides of my breasts, moving to my stomach and to my hips. He pressed his own body against mine, flattening me between him and the door. I could feel his desire pushed into my stomach.

"I have wanted to do this all day." I moaned against Sirius's lips, holding his head to keep his lips pressed against mine. I slid my hands down his chest, working on the buttons on the front of his shirt, my fingers shaking from desire. I finally reached the last button, accidentally brushing his hard length with my fingers as I undid it. He groaned into my mouth, shrugging his shirt off. He grabbed the bottom of my shirt and I hastily lifted my arms to allow him to pull it off. I moved to connect his mouth to mine again, but he ignored me, instead shifting to place his lips on my shoulder.

His fingers nimbly unclasped my bra and he slid it off my shoulders, tossing it on the floor behind him. He licked his lips, glancing up at me before swirling his tongue around my already erect nipple. A moan escaped my lips and I could feel his smirk against me. While his mouth worked on my breasts, his fingers moved to the button of my jeans. After undoing the button and lowering the zipper, Sirius dropped to his knees, looking up at me from the ground. My face was flushed and I was breathing hard as he pulled my jeans down my legs. I stepped out of them quickly, expecting Sirius to stand back up again.

Instead, he pressed a kiss to the outside of my already soaked panties. He looked up at me again, raising an eyebrow. "Little wet, are you?" He asked, grinning cockily. I didn't answer, just bit my lip, unconsciously pushing myself toward his face.

He hooked a finger around my panties, dragging them down my legs. His hand wrapped around my left knee, and he lifted my leg and put it over his shoulder. I was panting heavily, my toes already curling in anticipation. With one hand on my leg and the other on my hip, Sirius moved forward, burying his face between my legs. His tongue shot out to touch my clit, and from that second, it was pure bliss.

I struggled to stay standing, holding onto the doorknob with one hand and Sirius's hand on my hip with the other. I was writhing and moaning with each ministration his tongue performed, and my legs trembled as I felt myself get closer and closer to my peak. Sirius's tongue swirled in circles, exactly the way I liked it, and the orgasm hit me fast and hard. I cried out, clenching my leg around Sirius's back, squeezing his hand. My legs were shaking, making standing difficult.

I didn't have to struggle for long. Sirius unhooked my leg from his shoulder, one hand still on my hip, the other pulling down his own pants and boxers, freeing his erection from its confines. He put his hand on my other hip, lifting me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his hips, hooking them together behind him. He licked his lips, kissing me quickly before twisting his hips and thrusting into me, eliciting cries from both our mouths. I was still trembling from my orgasm, and the aftershocks coursed through my body as Sirius thrust into me again and again.

It wasn't long before his breath was short, both our bodies slick with sweat. With every slam into my body the door shook. Sirius grazed his teeth over my shoulder, the muscles in his back taut. "I'm going to come," he said, his voice strained. I dug my nails into his back, urging him on. His tempo increased slightly, his soft moans becoming louder. With a final shout and deep thrust I felt him release. He raised his head from my shoulder, his hips still twitching. He pressed his lips to mine, smiling against them.

Without breaking his hold on my back and sides, he carried us to the couch, sitting down with me on top of him, still inside me. "I love you," he said quietly, and I smiled, nuzzling his nose with my own.

"I love you,"

* * *

><p>"Baby?" Sirius said, his voice groggy. I groaned, rolling over to look at the clock. It was four in the morning. After our fun in the den, we had christened the kitchen and the bedroom, before falling asleep next to each other.<p>

"Sirius, it's four in the morning," I said, my voice scratchy. I turned over to look at him, but he was no longer next to me. I sat up, blinking to adjust my eyes to the darkness of the room. Sirius was in the corner, rummaging through a box.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, flopping back on the pillows. He didn't answer me. A few seconds later, I began to fall asleep again, only to be reawakened by Sirius's weight on top of me.

"Hey." Sirius said, clearing his throat. I sighed, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Hi." I said, running two fingers down the side of his face. "You should go back to sleep,"

"No, Hermione. I can't go back to sleep."

"Why?"

"Because I have to know," he started, producing a silver, diamond ring. "If you would marry me."

**OH SHIT. WHO'S EXCITED. I AM. **

**Drop me a review, you lovely readers. They certainly motivate me! **

**Love you guys, and see you soon! – Brittany **


	19. Chapter 16: I Do

**There are literally no excuses other than the absence of a muse, and the creation of another story. I have total and full determination to finish this story; I cannot wait to get to the ending and show you all what I've had in store this entire time. **

* * *

><p>Chapter 15: I Do<p>

"I'm going to vomit."

"No, you're not."

It was the fifth time in twenty minutes that Lily had to assure me that I would not throw up. I certainly did not believe her, however, and kept glancing at the toilet in the next room. The nerves were creating massive butterflies in my stomach, and with good reason: it was the morning of my wedding.

Yes, I Hermione Granger, time traveller extraordinaire, was marrying Sirius Black in less than a half hour.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was not at all concerned about marrying _Sirius_, just the actual fact of _getting married_ itself. It had been a long year and a half since Sirius had asked me to marry him. The war was raging, but somehow, in the midst of all the hardship, we were incredibly happy just to be together.

James had proposed to Lily less than a year after Sirius had popped the question to me. She had been thrilled, and after briefly throwing around the idea of a double wedding, they chose a wedding date three months after mine and Sirius's.

The planning had been grueling. Sirius was an auror, and often worked long days and sometimes nights at the Ministry. I went into healing shortly after we moved into our apartment, and so far, I was enjoying it immensely. We were all still active members of the Order of the Phoenix, and were often sent out on scouting missions to find death eater hideouts and the like.

Despite this, Sirius and I still had time to plan everything for the wedding, from the guests, to the table settings. We had tasted every food sampler we could (much to Sirius's delight) and finally (after several long conversations) settled on red and white as our wedding colors.

The most difficult part of the planning had been finding the perfect dress. I had looked for ages, both with and without Lily's guidance. It had been extremely frustrating; I knew what I _wanted_, I just couldn't find it.

Finally, one unremarkable day three months before the wedding, I stumbled on a small bridal shop in muggle London. They had several dresses, but none that fit my taste. After almost giving up, I saw it, tucked into a back corner of the shop. With some difficulty, I pulled the dress from its confines, and upon first glance, I knew it was _the one. _

It was simple. The neckline was strapless, with a small band of beading stretching across the top and around the back. The back closed with almost twenty small, satin buttons (a feature that Sirius would most likely bemoan later). The waist gathered slightly, accentuating my curves perfectly, before flowing out in a princess-style bottom. In short, it was the most perfect dress I ever could have found. I couldn't wait for Sirius to see it.

"I might actually throw up." I said again, feeling the bile rising in my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily roll her own eyes to the ceiling, before turning back to me.

"If you're going to throw up, please do it before we get your dress on."

We had already covered my hair and makeup. My hair was pulled into an intricate bun, with several strands hanging in front to frame my face. There was a small tiara in my hair, which sparkled every time I moved my head. My makeup was slightly heavier than usual, though still light enough to not overshadow the dress. In short, it was a simple look that would become elegant with the addition of my wedding dress. Which I had to get on. If I could manage not to vomit.

"I mean it, Hermione, if you're going to puke, do it before you're dressed."

"I'm not going to throw up." I said, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Thank you, now drop that robe."

I obliged, sliding the silk off my shoulders and allowing the garment to drop to the floor in a heap. I was wearing a white silk bra and panty set, part of the bachelorette gifts that had been given to me by Lily, among others. I had several other naughty sets to wear on mine and Sirius's honeymoon, but for tonight, I thought simple, white and elegant would be ideal.

"I still think you should have worn those panties I gave you…" Lily mumbled, carefully pulling my dress from its wrappings. I rolled my eyes. Lily had bought me some of the crotchless panties that she liked so much.

"I'm saving them for later on this week." I told her. She insisted Sirius would love them; to me they seemed a little strange.

"Okay, step in." Lily said, holding the dress out in front of me. I carefully stepped into the opening, making sure I wasn't standing on any of the fabric. Ripping my dress on my wedding day was not in the plans.

After some tugging and prodding, the dress finally rose and Lily got to work on the buttons on the back. I held the front in place, wiggling my torso to ensure a tight fight.

"Sirius is going to hate you for these," Lily remarked, as she fastened the last few buttons. I laughed, shrugging my shoulders.

"It's not like he's going to be _that_ eager. We've done this before."

Lily laughed, rolling her eyes. "Well, duh." She said. "You only go at it like bunnies most of the time."

I smacked her on the arm, though she was right. Sirius and I had quite the reputation in our group of friends; all of them had walked in on us at _some _point.

"Well, it's nearly time." Lily said, checking her watch. "Sirius and James should be going to stand at the altar in about ten minutes, and then it'll be our turn."

"Oh, God." I said, feeling the threat of vomit at the back of my throat. Lily gave me a stern look.

"Stop it right now." She said firmly, putting a hand on each of my arms. "What on earth are you so nervous about?"

I considered. What _was_ I nervous about?

"Tripping down the aisle?" I offered. Lily rolled her eyes again.

"You're not going to trip down the aisle." She said exasperatedly. "I'm serious, what are you nervous about?"

"This marriage not lasting." I said honestly. Lily gave me a sympathetic look.

"Of course it's going to last!" She said, an incredulous look on her face. I smiled, though inside, my mind my screaming.

I knew, of course, that Sirius and I had very limited time to be together. It was spring 1979, which meant I had less than three years left with Sirius. October 1981 seemed to be approaching faster than ever; soon, Lily and James would be married, Harry would be born, and then everything would be lost.

But on my wedding day, I didn't want to think about all of that.

So, I chose to don a happy smile, shaking off my worries and my tears with a wave of my hand.

"I'm fine," I assured Lily, wiping my eyes lightly, to avoid messing up my makeup. She smiled, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and squeezing lightly.

"It's going to be perfect," She assured me. "Now let's go get you married."

* * *

><p>I was glad I had something to focus on, other than the feeling of my own panic. Lily was swaying back and forth as we waited for the ceremony to begin, and every time she moved, her dress caught the light. It was red, and fell to her knees. The fabric was reflecting the lamp above her, and I had been staring, completely transfixed, at the display for nearly five minutes.<p>

I barely noticed Remus gripping my arm. I had asked him months before to walk me down the aisle. To say he was taken aback would be putting it lightly. I told him my family was not attending the wedding (as the other marauders still believed that I had been homeschooled) and that I needed a friend, a true friend, to walk me down the aisle. He accepted without hesitation, and I knew, deep down, that he suspected _something_. I didn't think he figured out I was from the future, but he knew something was different.

"Hey, focus." Remus said, bringing me out of my reverie. I blinked, turning to look at him. He smiled crookedly, bumping my arm with his. "You have to be awake to marry Sirius, you know." He teased, and I laughed nervously, glancing once more at Lily's dress.

"I'm…distracted." I said, and he smiled understandingly.

"I get it. You're nervous. Sirius was a wreck. But it will be fine."

"Sirius was a wreck?"

"Kept going on about how maybe you guys were too young, and maybe you didn't want to marry him, and what he would do if you left him at the altar."

"But I would never – " I started, and Remus cut me off.

"I know that, and so does Sirius. He's nervous, just like you. But let me tell you…you're going to see each other, and everything is going to make sense again."

With that statement, the music began to swell, and Lily was out of sight, walking down the aisle. I gulped down my panic, my grip on Remus's arm becoming (I assumed) painful. He patted my hand, leaning over to whisper in my ear.

"Relax."

I took a deep breath. The music changed, and I knew: this was it. Remus led me to the start of the aisle, and I finally looked straight ahead. At the end of the aisle stood Lily on one side, beaming. Dumbledore was in the middle; he would be marrying Sirius and I. James stood off to the right side, bouncing on his toes as he looked from me to Lily. And next to him, was Sirius. My breath caught in my throat. I stared at him as Remus and I made our way down the aisle. I was transfixed; it was as if I was seeing him for the first time.

I thought back to that first night in the Gryffindor common room, when I had set eyes on this beautiful boy for the first time. I knew he would be trouble; somehow, I knew he would undo me. He figured out about the future almost instantly, though for whatever reason, I think a part of me had just _wanted_ him to know. He was as handsome as he had been back then, and I realized with a jolt that I was going to spend my whole life loving this man.

And he would only be around for the next two and a half years.

I pushed this thought out of my head, ignoring the tense constriction of my heart at the thought. Today was not about the future in that sense; it was the binding of our souls, and the culmination of a relationship that never should have worked, but somehow, was perfect. I needed to focus on the time we would _have,_ not the time we'd be apart.

The trip up the aisle was shorter than I anticipated, and (without falling) I made it to Sirius's side. Remus placed my hand in his, quietly excusing himself to his seat in the front row next to Peter. It was in that moment that I finally got to really _look_ at Sirius.

The intensity burning through his eyes was enough to make my knees weak, though I stood firm, gripping his hand in mine. This was it.

Sirius looked at me closely, his eyebrows furrowed. He squeezed my hand, smiling as he ran his fingers down the side of my face. "I love you," he said quietly, and I heard Lily squeal behind me.

I smiled back at him, trying to hold in my tears. "I love you," I said, and he grinned, winking at me, before turning to Dumbledore.

The words spoken by our headmaster flitted through my brain with very little understanding. I was too focused on the moment: I was getting married. In a few minutes, I would be someone's _wife._ And not just anyone, but Sirius Black, in the 1970s. And somehow, it was perfect.

"I, Sirius Black, take you, Hermione Granger, to be my lawfully wedded wife…" Sirius said softly, his hands strong and sure in mine. He spoke, and as I listened, I stared deep into his eyes. Before long, it was my turn.

"I, Hermione Granger, take you, Sirius Black, to be my lawfully wedded husband…" I began, repeating the words from Dumbledore like a mantra. A few moments later, Sirius slipped a ring on my finger, and I turned around, taking his from Lily, before sliding onto his own finger.

"By the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride, Mr. Black." Dumbledore said with some amusement; Sirius seemed to be bouncing on his toes waiting to kiss me. I grinned at the headmaster, before focusing my attention back on my husband. He placed a hand on either side of my face, leaning down to capture my lips with his.

He tasted familiar, and the thought of kissing my _husband_ for the first time was slightly jarring. I kissed him back, relishing the feel of his lips under mine, and of his hands running from my cheeks, down my neck to my shoulders.

"I love you," I mumbled against his lips, and I felt him smile. He pressed another light kiss to my mouth, before straightening his body again.

"And I love you…wife."

I giggled, linking my fingers with his as we turned toward our audience.

"I like the sound of that, husband."

* * *

><p><strong>Okay! So I hope everyone enjoyed that! I was going to carry on into the reception and afterwards, but I really wanted to keep it sweet and to the point. Again, sorry this has taken me so long; you all probably saw the update and were like…what story is that? <strong>

**Let me know what you guys think! As I said before, the story will be jumping to significant events… and next up is the birth of Harry Potter! **


	20. Chapter 17: Arrivals

**Hello everyone! I realize it has been AGES, but I have not, and will not forget about this story. I'm shocked that there are still people finding it and reading it, and to those people, I say WELCOME. To those of you who have stuck around and are still interested, I say THANK YOU. **

**Just as a short recap (since it's been so long for some of us!) Sirius and Hermione just got married last chapter. This next one is going to jump ahead some time (as I stated before) to a certain birth! Hope you guys enjoy! **

**Chapter 17: Arrivals**

* * *

><p><em>July 31, 1980 <em>

"What in the name of Merlin…" I was awoken by my husband's groggy voice. A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed that it was only four in the morning.

"What is it?" My voice was equally exhausted as I groped for my wand to produce some light. My fingers closed around the handle as Sirius sat up, my wand light illuminating him as he struggled to get out of bed.

"There's an owl." He answered. He stumbled to the window to let the animal in; its tapping had awoken him, and consequently, me.

"Is it Lily?"

"It is!" Sirius said excitedly, his demeanor shifting drastically as his eyes scanned the post. "She's in labor, and James wants us to get to St. Mungo's!"

I squealed, throwing the covers off my own body and walking quickly to my dresser to find some clothes. As I searched for something simple and comfortable, my mind wandered to the exciting event that was about to take place: the birth of Harry Potter.

Three months after Sirius and I had tied the knot, James and Lily had gotten married in a small backyard wedding at the old Potter mansion. It was a beautiful ceremony; Sirius was the best man, and I was the maid of honor, though, with knowledge of the future, I conveniently excused myself before the photos were taken. I knew Harry would have the picture in the future, and would wonder _how on earth_ his eleven-year-old best friend Hermione Granger had been in the 1970s. Shortly after the ceremony, James and Lily had sold the Potter mansion; after the wedding, James decided that the house held too many memories of his deceased parents.

In December of 1979, Lily had announced that she was a little over a month pregnant with their first child. A few months later, she found out it was a boy, and a month after that, she and James settled on the name Harry. I knew all of this, of course, though I stayed quiet throughout it all, pretending I did not. I also knew which day Harry would be born on, and had therefore not been surprised when Sirius had awoken.

Married life with Sirius had been wonderful. He was a kind, caring, and supportive husband. We did not lead an especially extraordinary livelihood; apart from the Order of the Phoenix, life was almost normal. Voldemort had been particularly quiet as of late, and while the silence was slightly unnerving, it was almost possible to pretend that there was nothing wrong with the world.

Unfortunately, I knew that in only a little over a year, everything would come crashing down.

For the moment, however, I had accepted my situation. I stayed true to my promise to myself; I would enjoy the golden years I had with Sirius, even though I knew he would go to prison, briefly reappear, and then be gone forever. After Halloween 1981, there would never be another time for myself – in my thirties – and Sirius to be together. He would be in prison for a majority of it, and I would exist in two forms. When I could finally reveal myself again, he would be dead and buried.

"Are you ready?" Sirius's voice prompted me out of my reverie and I nodded, a smile adorning my face as I thought of the excitement that was waiting at the hospital.

* * *

><p>"Get this baby the fucking fuck <em>out of me<em>." This was the first thing Sirius and I heard as we approached Lily's hospital room. I bit down on my cheek to keep from laughing. Sirius was doubled over in his own laughter, his hands gripping his knees as he fought for breath.

"I'm sorry, honey, it will be over soon…" James's feeble attempts at comfort came next, and Sirius and I stayed in the hall, both trying to compose ourselves.

"You are _never_ going to touch me _ever_ again, do you understand me?" Lily's voice was low and menacing, and I _swore _I heard James whimper.

"Understood." He squeaked; it was clear that he knew he _had_ to agree. Otherwise, he was risking bodily harm.

"How long is this going to be?" Lily whined. I checked my watch; if James had sent the owl when they arrived at the hospital, that meant she had only been in labor for…forty-five minutes. She had _hours_ to go.

"The nurse said it could be anywhere from the next hour to tomorrow."

"Fucking perfect."

Sirius and I glanced at each other. Most of our laughter was under control; my stomach muscles ached slightly, and he still had a faint sheen of tears in his eyes. We nodded at each other and decided to enter the room anyway, and with a deep breath, I pushed open the door.

"Hello, sunshine!" I said brightly, my eyes moving from a meek James Potter to a very sweaty, very red Lily Potter.

"Don't you sunshine me, Hermione Black. This fucking _sucks_."

"But think of how amazing it will be to have Harry out and in the world!" I pointed out. I was the only one in the room who truly understood the truth in that statement.

"I'm sure he will be amazing, but this fucking _hurts._" Lily said, tears pricking her eyes. My heart fell instantly; she was in _serious_ pain. Not that I had expected differently. It was just that Lily Potter was one of the most positive and upbeat people I had ever met, and she _never _cried. It seemed that the one thing to defeat her was giving birth to Harry.

"She's going to kill me." I heard James mutter to Sirius. The pair had moved to the corner of the room, allowing me to sit in the chair next to Lily.

"I heard that James Potter."

"I'm sorry, baby." James said immediately, a look of terror appearing on his face.

"You still want three kids after this?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, absolutely. It will be worth it." Lily said without hesitation. She glanced at me, and I forced a strained smile onto my face. It was times like this that knowing the future was the hardest.

"Knock knock!" A bright voice said, and a nurse came through the door, a clipboard in one hand. She maneuvered toward the end of the bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit." Lily said honestly. The nurse smiled lightly.

"Well, let's see how much longer you'll be." She said. Lily scooted her body slowly toward the end of the bed, while the nurse lifted the sheet to get a closer look.

"Well, by the looks of your dilation, you'll be only a couple more hours!" The nurse said brightly. Lily groaned, before flopping back onto the mattress.

"A couple more hours!" She repeated, and I had to stifle a laugh.

"Some women go nearly twenty four hours!" The nurse pointed out, as if this information would make Lily's contraction pain go away.

"Thank you." James said tightly, his eyes trained on Lily, who was lying on the mattress with a hand over her forehead. The nurse took the hint, and left the room.

"A couple more hours!" Lily said again, her hand falling off her face and onto the pillow.

"Look at it this way," Sirius started, his tone serious. "We used to have classes with the Slytherins that ran longer than two hours. This will be _nothing_ compared to that."

For the first time, Lily cracked a smile. I breathed a sigh of relief; if we could keep her smiling for the next couple hours, everything would be okay.

* * *

><p><em>Two Hours Later. <em>

"Can you owl Remus and Peter and let them know that it's almost time?" James was frantic, his eyes wide as Lily screamed behind him. It was almost time; Harry was ready to come out, and the doctor had arrived, announcing it was time to start pushing.

"Got it." Sirius said, as he fished a piece of paper and pencil out of his pocket. Remus was feeling ill from the full moon and had opted to visit after the birth, while Peter had flat out refused to be present for it; he was terrified of Lily, and completely opposed to blood.

"We're going to have you push soon, are you ready?" The doctor asked, taking a seat at the end of the bed.

"I guess so!" Lily wailed, her breathing coming in short bursts as she squeezed the life out of James's hand.

"On my count, push on three, push until ten, and then relax, ready?"

"Ready."

"One, two, three – push – " Lily let out an agonizing scream as her muscles contracted and she pushed. One hand gripped the bar of the hospital bed as the other held James. He looked sick with worry and in agonizing pain at the same time, his gaze straying from Lily, to the doctor, to me in rapid succession. "…eight, nine, ten." Lily let out a deep breath, her arms shaking as she fell back on the mattress.

"Great job, Lily, we're going to do that again, okay?" The doctor instructed. Lily did not answer, and after several seconds, the doctor took a deep breath. "Okay, on my count, one, two, three – push – " Again, Lily pushed with all her strength.

"Five – don't hold your breath, try to breathe, the head is about halfway, little more, seven, eight, nine, ten, stop pushing, another deep breath, good…" The doctor trailed off as he reached for a cloth.

"Almost there?" Sirius appeared back in the room, coming to stand next to me. I looked up, tears in my eyes.

"Almost."

"Does daddy want to see the head?" The doctor prompted. James's face turned white, and he shook his head vehemently.

"No."

"Can I look?" I asked suddenly. Lily nodded, her hand shakily reaching up from the bar on the bed to brush the sweaty hair off her head.

"Tell me…how…it looks…" Lily commanded between breaths. I leaned over, a smile jumping to my face as I saw the first signs of Harry Potter.

"He has a lot of hair already." I reported.

"Dark?" James asked, to which I nodded.

"Like yours."

"Wow." He said, tears in his eyes as he looked from me to Lily. "I still can't look."

"One more big push, Lily, and then we're there." The doctor said. "On my count, ready?"

Another count to ten, and the small cries of a newborn Harry Potter filled the room. Lily had barely taken a breath before she was trying to pull herself up to see her son.

"Is he okay? Does he look okay?" She asked, struggling to push herself up enough.

"He's perfect." The doctor confirmed, as he wiped gently at the newborn's face. "Do you want to cut the cord?"

James nodded, pulling his hand out of Lily's and stumbling to the doctor. Once the cord had been cut, the doctor wrapped Harry in a blanket, before giving him gently to Lily.

"Oh my…James…" she said. James wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders, his eyes trained on Harry as he kissed her cheek.

"He's perfect. You were wonderful, I'm so proud of you. I've never loved you so much."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

"I'm sorry you had to deal with all that pain."

"You can get up to feed him for the first week, deal?"

"Absolutely."

"I love you."

"And I love you."

At some point during the exchange, Sirius had walked over next to me and slipped his hand into mine. In truth, we had discussed the 'baby thing' many times during our marriage. Since Sirius knew I was from the future, he understood why I could not get pregnant. It didn't stop us both from hoping for an accident, however. For now, we would have to be content with our Godson.

As I watched Lily and James stare at Harry, a smile crept onto my face. The Harry Potter I knew – from the eleven year old, to the man – was, in every sense of the word, an absolute hero. Aside from his obvious accomplishments, he was also one of my best friends, and always would be.

As the small bundle was passed to me, I couldn't help but feel a rush of gratitude for James and Lily for bringing their son into the world, so that I – in the distant future – would be able to befriend him.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, I hope that lived up to expectations. There will be one chapter regarding the prophecy, two surrounding Halloween night, one detailing Hermione's life after Sirius's arrest, and then probably two more and an epilogue…So that's only about six to go! Again, thank you all so much for your unwavering support; it means the world! <strong>


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